


A Tale of Two Bitties

by Spectascopes



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bittybones, Bitty Bones, BittyBones, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, bittybones papyrus - Freeform, bittybones sans, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-08-15 00:15:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8034553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spectascopes/pseuds/Spectascopes
Summary: Your name is Chara, and you're going to get some bitties.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this months ago. Literally I think in February?? it was a LONG time ago, okay. I never posted it because I was gonna wait until I could do it in halves, but then i finished half and the formatting was awful and i'd lost interest. the formatting is still weird and awful and i can't fix it, i've tried, but here this is anyways! i can't say i'll ever write the second half, but this ties things up alright

  
You’d seen the ad in the local paper- two skeletons had been rescued from an abusive home and were currently up for adoption. One thousand and two hundred dollars for one measly little monster- but you couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this. You had the paperwork and the clearances, after your last exotic pet, and you’d seen the pictures. Monsters were rare and hard to come by, and skeleton monsters were even more so. You’d been fascinated by the things ever since you’d seen one at a zoo- a pathetic looking bag of bones, but enough to spark your interest and make you check your bank account for money you knew you had.

  
You went to the store, driving two hours out of your way to do something you’d probably regret. You had to have one- you absolutely had to have one. There’d been some information online, and you knew that you wanted Papyrus. Just under one foot tall, still young, likely to exceed two feet if properly cared for. You’d called ahead, to make sure you wouldn’t get there to find the little thing gone. 

“Chara?” the lady behind the counter asked as you approached. You nodded.

  
They didn’t keep the skeletons on display, to keep their stress levels down, so you’d read. You followed her to the back of the nice, well-lit store and you came upon what looked like a normal display for big dogs, except the floor was solid and inside was the little skeleton.

  
Monsters were weird, and skeletons were even more weird than most other monsters. Not much was known about them, but they didn’t do well in zoos, so private adoption was the more common method of socializing them. You’d read extensively about how they could be taught to speak, but really, you just felt bad for the poor thing. Intelligent things like monsters could be horribly mistreated if they fell into the wrong hands, which is exactly what had happened to this poor guy. 

  
“He’s a little shy,” the lady explained, but you were looking at the skeleton. When she spoke, the monster curled in the corner turned to look at the two of you. How strange, for empty sockets to be so expressive. You smiled a little, but the small skeleton looked away and went back to huddling in the corner.

  
“He shouldn’t be too hard to handle,” the lady said as she went and got one of those take-home pet boxes. While she was busy, you moved over and looked at the private display- and there you found the second skeleton, curled in a corner like it knew the other was right against the opposite wall. 

  
This one stared you down like it knew something you didn’t. Like it was threatening you. You waved at it, but it just brought it’s knees up and glared. They both had on such small clothing, it was adorable, but you noticed that this little one was shivering.

  
The lady returned with the box and you drew your eyes away from the second skeleton. She gave it a sad little smile. 

  
“Ah, that’s Sans. He’s… a little bit of a trouble-maker.”

  
“Does he know the other one is right there?” you asked.

  
“Monster’s can sense each other’s magic. These two were probably raised together. They might very well be brothers.”

  
You stood so you could look into both displays, separated by a solid wall. You felt bad for a moment, to be taking one but not the other, but you were happy to give one a home at least.

  
“Well, Sans might be easier to manage without Papyrus around. He gets very aggressive and protective when they’re near each other.”

  
The lady said it, and immediately the smaller skeleton stiffened and the white pinpricks of light in his eyes went out. You watched, curious, as she moved over, box in hand, and unlocked the display to take Papyrus from it.  
As soon as the taller skeleton saw the box, he tensed, but didn’t fight as the lady very gently grabbed him around the ribs and nudged him from the cage. You watched, but Sans had come to the front of his cage, pitch-dark sockets trying so hard to see what was going on in the other.

  
As Papyrus was removed and put into the box, he caught sight of the other skeleton, and suddenly he started struggling. The lady was quick to put him in the box and close the flap, muffling the sounds of his protests.  
But that didn’t stop you from watching Sans. You were handed Papyrus, and it was like Sans knew- like he knew he was being left alone.

  
You watched as he began to pound on the glass, little fists barely making noise, and he started crying. 

  
“Oh, we shouldn’t stay, he’s very smart,” the lady said softly, nudging you to leave, but you were fixed in your spot as you watched such human emotions on the poor thing- desperate agony on his face as he watched his brother being taken from him.

  
“He knows he won’t see him again?” you asked, and as if on cue Sans protested harder, pressing himself to the glass as Papyrus struggled in the box. His little hands ran over the surface- he knew.  
“Y… yes. But it’s better this way- I’m sure he’ll get used to it- he-“

  
“I want both of them,” you said as you watched the poor, hopeless monster in the cage fight to stay with his brother. He blinked. He understood what you said?

  
“Wh- what?”

  
“How much for both?” you asked. The skeleton was staring at you- was that hope in his eyes?

  
“A-are you sure? Sans is hard to handle when he’s with his brother, his magic can be dangerous-“

“I’m sure. I’ve got the stuff for both, I’ve got plenty of space. I had a cobra a couple years ago, too, I doubt he’s that dangerous, right? How much for both skeletons?”

  
The lady seemed taken aback, but Sans was watching you, and Papyrus had stopped struggling in the box.

  
“Two thousand for both.”

  
“Done.”

 

  
  
You didn’t put them in the same box to take home because that seemed a little cramped, but you kept the boxes beside each other, and there was no fussing. It wasn’t like they were noisy anyways- the most they did was whine, but they seemed content to be close to each other.

  
You got home, both boxes in tow, and set them on the kitchen counter for a moment. Your parents, both dead now, had been loaded, and so now you were loaded. Their house was yours, their money was yours, and even if it was a little sad they were dead, it wasn’t like they really cared about you more than to throw money at you. You were Chara, the only child who loved pets. And now you were twenty eight and you were living in a nice house and you could pretty much do absolutely nothing and get away with it.

  
“Well, we’re home, little dudes,” you announced, taking the boxes and setting them on the floor in the living room. You’d set up a cage with soft things and nice stuff, because if you were going to own skeletons you were going to own them right god damn it, but you kind of wanted to see what they’d do out of the boxes and not in the cage. 

  
You opened Papyrus’s first. He must have known his brother was close by, because he let you pick him up with both hands as you opened the lid and looked down at that sad face. You set him down on the floor. He was wearing a small orange shirt and baggy pants- it must’ve been hard to get clothes for little things like these guys. You’d have to look into it.

  
“Hey, Papyrus,” you said, and gave him a smile. He didn’t try to run, just awkwardly stood and shuffled his feet and looked longingly at the box.

  
“Nah, don’t worry, I got your bro right here,” you said, and patted the box. “But you gotta promise to behave, okay? I wasn’t expecting to get both of you, and if you cause me too much trouble I’ll send him back,” you threatened. 

  
You watched as his breath hitched, but he nodded vigorously. Did he really understand, or had these little guys been trained to do this?

  
You opened Sans’s box and found him curled in the corner. He was much smaller than his brother, but he wasn’t glaring anymore, at least. Maybe he’d heard your threat? You doubted he could understand something that complex, but you reached in and gently picked him up, noticing that he shook as you touched him.

  
As soon as Papyrus caught sight of him, he hurried over, and as soon as Sans’s tiny little skeleton feet touched the carpet, Papyrus was hugging him. Gosh, their hands were so small. The monsters were the size of soda bottles, but they weighed nearly nothing, being all bones. 

  
They hugged. You watched, sitting on the floor, and you wondered when they’d been allowed to see each other last. While you weren’t a fan of interacting with other people, at least these little guys couldn’t talk and be mean and just… wow. You really didn’t like other people, you realized as you watched the two little monsters hugging and patting each other.

  
“Alright, I’ve got this cage all set up over here, let's get you little guys in and settled,” you said, mostly to yourself, but they both looked at you as you reached and gathered both intertwined skeletons up in your arms and carried them over to the big three-tiered cage you’d once used for chinchillas. 

  
A cat bed sat on the second floor, complete with pieces of cloth that you figured would function as blankets if they got cold. You put them both in the bed, and they watched you with big eyes as they fell apart from each other and felt the softness around them. They were so small- you could grab both in either hand, but you’d be too scared of grabbing too hard and hurting their ribs. 

  
You’d put crackers on the top level, as well as some water. They were so humanoid, you felt bad making them lap it up like dogs, so you’d filled one of those tiny little water bottles for children up about halfway and left it in. If they didn’t touch it by morning you’d do something else, but you looked everything over before you gave a decisive nod.

  
“There we go,” you said, watching as they grabbed each other again and held tight, but they didn’t look so scared anymore. Both watched you as you shut the cage door and took a step back.

  
You left them go for the evening, staying in the living room and keeping a close eye on them to make sure nothing happened, but they just stayed in their bed and hugged, sometimes bonking skulls. They eventually fell asleep, and you hoped they’d be able to get comfortable in the next few weeks. Coming from a bad home had probably messed up the poor dudes, but you were determined to make them trust you. You were Chara, the exotic pet person who’d tamed cobras and kept centipedes as companions.

  
How hard could two skeletons be?

 

 

  
  
  
You left them alone for three days to let them get settled in. You would go by their cage and say hi, and they’d look at you with big eyes, and one time when you waved, Papyrus waved back. It made your heart melt, what beautiful creatures these little fuckers were. 

  
Sans gave you dirty looks sometimes, but for the most part everything went great. You did your thing, you left them to do theirs, and mostly they just napped. A few times they got up and you pretended to be sleeping on the couch, but you watched as they cautiously made their way up to the third tier and nibbled on the crackers. Monsters were weird. You wondered if they were like goldfish, and would grow based on how big their cage was. 

  
On the fourth day, you took them out. You opened the bottom door and put a box for them to use as a step, and then you laid on the living room floor and stared up at the ceiling.

  
“You guys can come out and explore, if you want,” you said, turning over to look at them. Papyrus had moved cautiously to the lowest tier, with Sans right behind him. You looked at them curiously.

  
“You guys are weird. I know you can understand some of what I say, so are you like gorillas? They’re smart, they can use sign language and stuff, that’s pretty neat.”

  
You talked to yourself before you sat up and held out your hands. “Come on, you two, I promise I don’t bite. I know you guys didn’t come from a very nice place, but I’m not mean. Well, I am mean, but that’s only to other people. You little guys are cool. I hear you can use magic? That’s really neat. I wish I could use magic.”

  
Papyrus was watching you hesitantly. You patted the floor beside you.

  
“Come on, I’ve got some chocolate in the cupboard if you guys behave, you can both have a few pieces. You ever had chocolate?”

  
Neither responded, but as you patted the ground again, Papyrus took a step towards the edge of the cage. Sans stayed where he was.

  
“Mm… I guess you guys’ve never had chocolate before. If somebody offered me chocolate I’d probably kill a man for it. Not really, but, metaphorically speaking. It’s really good.”

  
Papyrus was at the very edge of the cage, looking down at the step. Sans followed slowly. Papyrus only had a few inches of cage above him, but Sans only came up to Papyrus’s shoulders, so he had more room.

  
“Man… you guys are really scared of me, huh?” you asked, but it wasn’t really harsh. You stayed where you were but leaned back on your hands. “That’s okay, you can take your time. I get it. The last person who had you wasn’t very nice to you, was he?”

  
Papyrus stopped moving and Sans held his brother’s arm.

  
“I heard about that stuff- he was a real jerk. I dunno what exactly happened, of course, but I get that you guys are scared of people cause of what he did. I’d be scared too, maybe even angry. People suck, I’m not gonna lie to you guys. Humans are the worst. But you guys got lucky and ended up with me, and I’m cool.”

  
They seemed to relax a little, and you smiled. You sat back and closed your eyes, lying down on the floor again with your face towards them. “Hmm… why’re you guys named after fonts, anyways? Kinda wish I knew, but I doubt you guys can tell me. I heard skeletons can talk, if they’re trained, but… I don’t know. I’ve never really been one for that whole ‘training things to obey you’ thing, not when you don’t have to.”

  
You kept talking idly to yourself, and eventually Papyrus led his brother down and they sat beside the step up to the cage. You stayed on the floor and looked at them, blowing the hair out of your face. They looked nervous, but curious. Especially Papyrus. Sans looked a little more defensive.

  
“I’m gonna call you Paps, okay? Papyrus is a little too long for me, but Paps… that’s a good name. Sans is nice and short, too. Paps and Sans- the little skeleton brothers. You guys are like Mario and Luigi. Oh man, I bet you don’t know who those guys are. I’ve got a lot to teach you. I hope you guys don’t understand what I’m saying, I’m an idiot.”

  
Papyrus cocked his head to the side and you grinned- that was adorable. 

  
“You guys want some chocolate? I didn’t think you’d come out of the cage, I think we could use some chocolate to celebrate a good days work. I’ll be right back.”

  
You stood and went to the kitchen, grabbing the name-brand chocolate bar inside and bringing it back. The two skeletons were where you left them, and you walked over and sat down closer to them than you were before.

  
You unwrapped the chocolate and broke off two pieces, handing them to the skeletons. You still couldn’t get over those adorable little hands. How cute. 

  
“There you go, chocolate for everybody,” you said, popping a piece in your mouth and letting it melt. You watched as they eyed their prize, but Papyrus eventually nibbled on it. His eyes lit up- still so weird- and he gobbled the rest down in a heartbeat, turning to his brother and watching as he tried his piece. His reaction was similar, but when he saw Paps looking, Sans offered the rest of his piece to his brother.

  
Altruism. You blinked, intrigued, and watched as Sans tried to feed his brother instead of himself. You expected Papyrus to take it, but instead he shoved the chocolate back at Sans. Sans broke the rest of his piece in half as best as he could and Papyrus accepted one of the halves and ate it.

  
Weird.

 

 

 

  
The next week, you worked with the skeletons, but you didn’t push them. They were smart little fuckers and Papyrus loved chocolate, you figured out, and Sans never left his brother’s side. It wasn’t until the eighth day of owning the little guys that they finally made their way across the living room and sat down beside you when you patted the floor.

  
You gave each of their heads a little pat, and then a piece of chocolate.

  
“Look at you brave baby bones, comin’ all the way out here just to see me.”

  
Papyrus looked up at you with big eyes while Sans munched on his chocolate.

  
“Just kidding. I know you guys just want the chocolate. It hurts, but I get it.”

  
Papyrus ate a piece of chocolate, but he slowly reached out and put a tiny hand on your leg and gave you a smile.

  
You didn’t miss the look Sans gave you- like you might hurt his brother for touching you, but you just smiled at him.

  
“Aww, thanks Pap. You’re a real sweetie.”

  
Did he really blush or did you imagine it? He looked away and ate his chocolate, and Sans kept watching you.

  
“Can you guys understand me?” you asked quietly. 

  
Both skeletons looked up at you, and then at each other, and then to you again. You didn’t know where it had came from or why it had been so direct, but you looked at the bar of chocolate in your hand and sighed.

  
“Well, if you can, you guys should know that I’m not gonna hurt ya. And I know I threatened to send one of you back if you misbehaved, but I was lying. I wouldn’t split you two up.” You looked down at them. “I mean, don’t go breaking things and being little shits, but I know you guys need each other.”

  
Papyrus replaced his hand on your leg, but then instead he leaned against it. You couldn’t help but smile, he was so damn tiny. You looked to Sans, but he didn’t come closer- he just watched you and Papyrus like a hawk.

  
“See, Sans, I know you’re worried I’m gonna hurt your bro, but I promise I won’t,” you said, and the way Sans sharply turned his head up to look at you pretty much confirmed that the little turds knew more than they were letting on. You just waved a hand. “You guys are smart little buggers. You’re probably smarter than I am, but that isn’t saying much, to be honest.”

  
It took a moment, but eventually Sans scooted a little closer and accepted another piece of chocolate.

 

 

  
  
  
You felt like shit.

  
You opened their cage door, like you always did in the evenings, but you didn’t feel like talking to them. You were in a funk, you were having a bad day, and you kind of just wanted to sleep, but you’d feel bad not letting them come out and stretch their bones a little.

  
You laid on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. What a stupid ceiling. What a stupid house, too. It wasn’t yours, you didn’t deserve it, it’d landed in your lap just like everything else in life. 

  
You felt little hands on your arm and you looked over to see Papyrus, giving you a worried look. 

  
“You guys ever have parents?” you asked quietly. Sans was standing a pace behind his brother.

  
There was a pause. Neither skeleton did anything, but Papyrus sat down so he wasn’t standing over you. He gave you a quizzical look.

  
“My parents both died, and that’s why I have this house. And the money I used to buy you guys. It isn’t like I earned it for myself or anything.”

  
You huffed and closed your eyes, but Papyrus was still touching you. Such damn tiny hands. 

  
“Man. Your hands are so small, it’s adorable,” you said, looking at the skeleton. “I think it’s really cool that you two have each other. I always sort of wished I had a sibling, or, y’know, anybody. At all.”

  
You didn’t realize you were tearing up until one of the tears fell down your cheek. You kind of wanted to wipe it away, but you didn’t. You closed your eyes.

  
Papyrus stopped touching your arm, and in just a moment you felt a small hand wiping the tear away. You looked, a little surprised, and saw Papyrus there. He was on his knees, and while you were laying on your back he was taller than you. 

  
A moment later, Sans came over and sat against the crook of your neck and shoulder. You giggled, because it tickled, and then you felt his little fingers actually tickling you.

  
“Oh you little shit, you’re gonna tickle me?” you asked, and Sans gave you a shit-eating grin. It felt good to see him smile, but you already had a hand up and you tickled his ribs. He huffed, but grinned, and then he sort of crawled over your arm and sat against your side, arms splayed out on your stomach, looking at you with big eyes.

  
Papyrus followed his example, curling up against your side. You smiled, because you would’ve never guessed they were cuddly, but you let them use you as a pillow and heat source.

  
It felt pretty nice.

 

 

 

 

The first time they carried on was in the middle of the night, and you didn’t really understand what was happening. It sounded like crying, but breathy and held-back. You rubbed the sleep from your eyes and immediately what you saw was a strange blue light coming from the skeleton’s cage.

  
You got up, listening to the keening cries and the breathy gasps, and you saw that both skeletons were in their bed, but Sans’s eye was glowing with blue magic. Papyrus was holding him while Sans gasped and his breath hitched. 

  
“Hey- hey, what’s going on?” you asked, but Papyrus turned to look at you like you were going to attack. 

  
He grabbed his brother and held him tight, and as you reached to open the cage door a small zap of Sans’s blue magic came and stung your hand. You yelped, mostly in surprise, but Sans wasn’t even looking at you- he was looking at the floor of the cage, holding his head in his hands while his brother’s entire body went stiff.

  
“N-no… didn’t… he didn’t mean to…” 

  
You didn’t register the tiny voice that spoke until you looked at Papyrus, illuminated by Sans’s magic, and he spoke again.

  
“Don’t… don’t take him… please don’t take him…” Papyrus sobbed. 

  
You were sort of frozen in place- not only was the skeleton speaking, but he was speaking really fucking well.

  
“He’s good- he’s- please- please don’t send him away- don’t take him- please-“ Papyrus wailed. Sans stared off at nothing in particular. “Don’t- don’t take him- don’t send him back- please don’t send him away-“

  
You snapped out of it as the skeleton cried and sobbed and barely got enough breath into his body. His voice, small as it was, broke, and his words were punctuated with sobs and gasps.

  
“Don’t- d-don’t send him back- please don’t send him back, human, p-please don’t take him away- he- he- he didn’t mean to- please-“

  
“Woah woah, hey, nobody’s going anywhere,” you said, holding up your hands. “I’m not sending him back- but oh my god, you guys could talk this whole time?”

  
“W-we won’t- we’ll be good- no more talking- n-no more, please just- just don’t take my brother away, he’s not broken- he’s good- please-“

  
“Shh, hey, Papyrus, I’m not sending him anywhere, you guys are both staying right here, okay? What’s going on? Is he gonna be okay?” you asked, because Sans was still breathing shallowly and staring off into space, and goddamn they could talk, but Papyrus was hyperventilating.

  
“Please, p-please, h-he’s just scared- we won’t cause any more trouble- we’ll be good- no more talking- don’t take him away from me-“

  
“Papyrus!” you said, a little loudly, and he looked up at you like you’d slapped him.

  
“No- no, please no no no- don’t hurt him- please d-don’t hurt him-“

  
“Nobody's getting hurt! I’m not sending him away, he’s fine! You’re both fine, okay, but you gotta calm down, Paps, you’re gonna pass out.”

  
He seemed to hear you, blinking when you used his nickname. You reached forward and opened the cage, prepared for the little shock that came, and you reached in and scooped up both skeletons in your arms. Papyrus clung to you like you might drop him.

  
“Shh, see? You’re fine, everybody’s fine, nobody’s getting sent away or hurt or anything like that.” You set them down on the floor, but you paid more attention to Sans. You put a hand on his back. It covered everything from the waist up, and you rubbed it a little. It was so odd to feel their ribs lead off into nothing more than a spinal cord, but poor Sans...

  
“Sans? You there, buddy?”

  
Papyrus was still crying and he was holding onto your wrist like you might hurt his brother, but when he realized you weren’t going to he just cried and watched.

  
Sans blinked.

  
“Come on, Sans, I know you’re there- you got your brother worried sick-“ you said, and suddenly the magic faded a little and then after that it faded more, and then even more, until it eventually fizzled out and Sans came to, realized what had happened, and curled into a shaking, shuddering ball.

  
Papyrus went to him immediately and hugged him. Sans wrapped himself around his brother like this was a normal occurrence. You let out a breath, but while Papyrus cried you were hit again with the realization that the shits could talk.

  
“You good? Are you guys okay?” you asked, and Sans looked up at you with tears in his eyes.

  
“Y… you aren’t mad?” he breathed. His voice was soft and tiny, but much gentler than his brother’s. 

  
“No, I’m not mad, I’m a little shocked to be quite honest, but I’m not mad- I didn’t know you guys could talk.”

  
Sans didn’t say anything, but Papyrus looked up at you.

  
“W-we aren’t supposed to talk,” Papyrus cried, but his sniffles were quieting down and you rearranged yourself to sit cross-legged and put both skeletons in your lap.

  
“What do you mean?” you asked.

  
“It’s… bad,” Sans said. You put your arms around the two of them like a shield, and he grabbed onto your shirt and held on with those tiny little hands. “W-we… get punished for talking.”

  
“Is that what your last owner told you?” you asked, incapable of keeping the edge from your voice. Both flinched from it.

  
“D-Don’t hurt us,” Papyrus whimpered. “We won’t talk a-anymore-”

  
“I- oh my god, no, I’m not going to hurt you, but that’s bullshit- you guys are allowed to talk- god, I want you guys to talk to me, okay? I didn’t even know you could…”

  
“B-but what if he comes back?” Papyrus sniffled, “and then he hears us- and- and he’ll hurt us again-“

  
“I am never letting anybody hurt either of you ever again,” you said, “and if that asshole comes looking for the two of you, I’ll beat the shit out of him myself- god, don’t be scared of him anymore, he’s gone, okay? You guys are safe here.”

  
You held them both close, and they were both crying, but you didn’t blame them.

 

Dear god, they could talk.   
  
  


 

 

 

They fell asleep in your arms after they cried themselves out. You held them like you’d hold a kitten, and they sat on your arms and curled against your chest and huddled together. They looked so much more peaceful when they were sleeping, but your mind was still kind of hung up on the whole “these things can talk” thing, so you just idly stared down at them as they slept.

  
These weren’t pets, these were fucking children, and they’d been taught that they shouldn’t speak or they’d be punished. Just the thought made you angry, but you kept it under control. Still, the guy who’d done this to these poor babies deserved to rot in hell.

  
Poor babies- you flinched inwardly, but they were really babies. Children- by the look and sound of it. You’d known monsters were smart, but these things were… well. They weren’t animals, and they didn’t deserve to be treated like them. You looked at the cage and made a face- no more of that. They’d have a proper place to stay, without locked doors and nothing but crackers to munch on. They were broken little guys, but they were your broken little guys, and you were going to make sure they were taken care of.

  
It wasn’t so much of a realization as it was a slow, building sense of urgency; realizing that you were going to have to take care of children, and not just exotic pets. You chastised yourself for jumping to conclusions, but the way Papyrus had acted was too fucking human to not call them kids. Your heart gave a painful twist as you recalled the desperation and horror in the little skeleton’s voice, how he thought you’d send his brother away for shocking you a little. You hadn’t even begun to consider Sans’s breakdown, which you knew wasn’t healthy, but you’d have to ask them. Ask them- it was weird to think that you could ask these little guys and they could tell you.   
How old were they? Did they have parents? Were they really brothers? You looked down at them, resting, and wondered. When they woke up you’d get them something warm to eat, and something cold to drink, and you’d make sure they knew they’d never be apart again. Their grip on each other never once loosened, even when they were asleep. 

  
It was weird, but it felt good to have a little responsibility back in your life.

 

 

  
  
They woke up about an hour later, but they still looked exhausted. You assumed Sans had used most of his magic, and Papyrus had worked himself up so much that even you were tired just thinking about how tired he must be. 

  
Sans was the first to stir, and you felt his little hands curl gently in your clothes as he blinked awake. Would you ever really come to terms with how fucking adorable their hands were? Probably not. 

  
When he finally seemed to realize why he was so warm and cozy, he appeared a bit startled. He looked up sharply at you, that same haunting distrust in his eyes that had always been there. You gave him a little smile.

  
“Don’t worry. It’s just me,” you said, and he looked at you a moment longer before he pressed his face into your shirt to hide it.

  
Papyrus woke up just moments later, and the first thing he did was make sure Sans was still there. He bonked their skulls together, which was adorable, but then the bigger skeleton looked up at you. A quick smile seemed to reassure him.

  
“G’morning, sleepy heads,” you said, even though it was still the middle of the night. Your back hurt from sitting in the same position for so long, but you couldn’t bring yourself to move the skeletons. Now that they were awake, though, you very gently deposited them on the floor.

  
Papyrus opened his mouth, but then he looked away and closed it again. He held Sans’s arm, and they exchanged looks.

 

“Hey, don’t be scared, you’re safe with me. I’m like a big mama bear or whatever.”

  
“You… you won’t send Sans back?” Papyrus squeaked. Watching their mouths move was weird, because it was pliable bone, but his words were more worrisome.

  
“Nope, nobody’s going anywhere. You guys sure you don’t want to sleep some more? You look bone tired.”

  
To your honest surprise, Sans gave a tired, half-hearted snort at the pun. He then covered his mouth with his hands and looked at you like he might’ve offended you, or worse, like you might hit him for laughing. You wanted to say something, but the words died in your throat.

  
“Man… this is a weird situation,” you said, mostly to yourself. “Can I ask you guys some questions?”

  
Another glance between them, but then they both nodded.

  
“Do you want to go sit on the couch? It’s a lot more comfy than the floor.”

  
They nodded again. You weren’t sure if it was sincere or if they just wanted to please you. Either way, you offered both of your upturned palms, and with only a few moments hesitation they came over and let you pick them up.

  
They settled into the couch, huddled together, looking a little less small when they weren’t on the bare living room carpet. 

  
“Are you okay, Sans?” you asked, and immediately he looked away. 

  
“Sorry…” he murmured.

  
“Sorry? For what? I’m not angry about what happened, but you looked like you were having a bad time, little dude.”

  
“H…he has nightmares,” Papyrus offered quietly. “I-It isn’t his fault…” God their voices were so small...

  
“I know it isn’t, it’s okay,” you said patiently, “but if there’s anything I can do to help, I want to know. I have nightmares sometimes, too, I know they suck.”

  
“We can… we can still stay together, right?” Papyrus asked. His big eye sockets were so hopeful.

  
“Yeah, of course you can, but not in the cage. You guys don’t belong in a cage- I feel really shitty, I wish you’d talked to me sooner, I would’ve known you were so smart… but that isn’t your fault.”

  
“Don’t send us back-“ Papyrus began to whimper, but you held up your hands.

  
“No, I don’t mean that, you guys are staying with me. Look, I know this is all a little confusing, but… I don’t know.” You sat back and looked at them for a moment. 

  
“You guys want some chocolate?”

  
They seemed surprised, but not at all upset about the offer. They looked at each other for a moment and then at you.

  
“R-really?” Sans asked, and the stars in his eyes made you giggle.

  
“Chocolate always makes me feel better-“ you said as you reached over to the stand beside the couch and opened the drawer- revealing a half-eaten bar from the day before inside. It was a good thing you loved chocolate so fucking much. 

  
You broke off two pieces and dished them out to the little skeletons. They seemed hesitant to accept, and Sans looked at you like it was poisoned, but you ate a piece along with them.

  
Papyrus sniffled. You looked at him as he stared down at the piece of chocolate in his hands, and then back up at you.

  
“Th… thank you, human,” he whimpered, and god, he was a crybaby, but you didn’t really care. You smiled and reached over to pat his back a little.

  
“You’re welcome, skeleton,” you said with a wink. 

  
They ate their chocolate. You watched as Papyrus ate his, and Sans followed after him. They remained close to each other. You felt so bad for them.

  
“You guys are safe here, okay?” you said quietly, and it caught their attention and made them look up at you with big eyes. “I don’t know what your last-“ you bit down on the word ‘owner’ because it felt so wrong to say. “what your last caretaker did, but that isn’t gonna happen here. I’m not going to hurt you- even if you do bad things, I wouldn’t hurt you as punishment. And you guys can stay together- I’m not gonna separate you two. Okay?”

  
“S-so…” Sans began softly as he ate the last of his chocolate. He looked to Papyrus for reassurance, and the taller skeleton squeezed his brother’s arm. Sans took a deep breath. 

  
“We… we’re allowed to t-talk?” he asked as he looked at you like you’d punish him for the question. God your heart hurt looking at them. You were going to have your work cut out for you.

  
“Yeah- yeah, you guys can talk all you want. To me, to each other, I just… I wish I’d known sooner that you guys were…” you trailed off and sighed. “I’m sorry for treating you like I did.”

  
“Why?” Papyrus asked softly. You blinked at him, but he continued in a sheepish voice:

  
“You’re… you’re really nice to us,” he said, and Sans nodded along. “We have food… and water… a-and a place to sleep…”

  
“You guys deserve more than that,” you said definitively. “And now that I know that you can talk, you guys need to tell me what you want- don’t be afraid to talk to me, okay? I’ll get you guys something better to sleep on, and some better food. Crackers aren’t very good, are they?”

  
The skeleton’s looked at the ground, and you moved yourself so you were facing them more on the couch.

  
“How old are you both?” you asked softly.

  
Neither seemed prepared for the question, and they looked at each other for a while before Papyrus answered. He certainly seemed to be the more outgoing and vocal of the two.

  
“E-eight.”

  
“So you’re both eight?”

  
Papyrus nodded. “Y-yeah… he used to call us.. twins?” he said uncertainly, looking at his brother for assurance. Sans nodded.

  
“Twins, okay. That means you were both born at the same time, but… I don’t really know how skeletons are ‘born’ to be honest. Did you guys know your parents?”

  
They didn’t answer. You watched as they looked at each other, a look of confusion passing between them.

  
“Wh-what… are parents?” Papyrus asked.

  
“They’re… oh. Well, maybe skeletons don’t have parents… they’re the people you’re made from and who take care of you when you’re young. Do you remember anything from before you were with… the bad dude?”

  
They both shook their heads, and you could tell that their fatigue was beginning to catch up with them again. Sans yawned, a big, open mouth yawn that told you it was time for bed.

  
“You guys look tired… do you want to go back to bed for tonight?” you asked.

  
“Can we?” Papyrus asked.

  
“Yeah, of course. You guys had a rough night, after all. I know I’d be wiped out if I were you. But… I don’t want to put you back in the cage, that just isn’t right…”

  
“It’s nice…” Sans mumbled.

  
You looked down at them. “You sure you don’t mind?”

  
They shook their heads. You let out a breath.

  
“Okay. For tonight- but I’ll leave the bottom doors open, okay?”

  
Another nod from the two. Papyrus looked like he had something to say, but he just shuffled. You realized that it was going to take more than a few encouraging words for the poor little dudes to unlearn what they’d been taught.

  
“How bout I sleep on the couch again. If you guys need anything just wake me up, okay?”

  
Another nod. You reached over and gently gave them both a pat.

  
“Tomorrow I’ll make you something good to eat and we can talk more. Just… just remember that you’re safe here, okay? No more getting hurt or not being allowed to talk. Okay?”

  
They nodded yet again, but this time they both held each other and looked at you like you might’ve been either the devil or a literal angel descended from heaven. Either way, when you gave them a smile and helped them off the couch, they didn’t shake or cry.

  
That was a step up.

 

 

  
  
You really didn’t feel much like sleeping that night, so you waited until the skeletons were asleep and then went and got your laptop. It was a very morbid curiosity that you had, and you messaged the pet store you’d gotten the skeletons from and asked what exactly had happened to them.

  
You did a little research. It seemed like there was small, personal bits of information about how intelligent monsters could really be, but nothing big or noteworthy. Did nobody else try to treat them like people, or was there some other reason there was so little information about skeletons? You found a blog with a few posts and pictures and sent them a message.

  
You didn’t really expect them to reply, given that it was the middle of the night, but they did after only ten minutes of more searching.

  
_Yes, I have a skeleton. What did you want to know?_

  
You looked over at the cage and heard Papyrus softly snoring. Well, you’d better learn all you could.

  
_Are they smart? Like, people smart? Cause I have two and at first I wasn’t sure but now they’re talking to me and I know they aren’t just pets or some shit._

  
The next reply came almost instantly.

  
_Yes, he is. How old are yours?_

_  
Eight, they told me. They came from an abusive home._

  
_Mine was a rescue as well. It’s really common for them to be abused, sadly. What are their names, if you don’t mind me asking?_

  
_Sans and Papyrus. They’re sleeping right now, one of them just had some kind of… episode, I think, I don’t know. Sans’s magic went all wonky and he spaced out, I’m worried about him. What about yours?_

  
_Skeletons have magic, like all monsters do, but they’ve got more of it than most. If they’re young and they’ve never worked with it, things like that can happen. I can give you some suggestions on how to work with them and help them train their magic- once it’s under control and they’re comfortable with it, things will be a lot easier._

  
You exhaled. That was good- there was something you could do to help the poor dude, and somebody who was willing to teach you. You went back to your keyboard.

_  
_ _That’d actually be really fucking helpful, thank you._

_  
Don’t mention it. My name is Frisk, by the way. I can give you my contact information if you wanted to talk more. Taking care of them can be a handful, and I only have one. His name is Gaster, he’s been with me for a little more than five years. He’s fifteen._

_  
Yes, once again, that’d be really awesome. My name’s Chara. Gaster, though? Man, I was hoping that the font thing was a running gag with skeletons._

_  
Haha, his real name is Wingdings. I’m not sure where the name Gaster came from, but he prefers it. I would too if my name was Wingdings._

  
You snorted. Wingdings. That name would suck so bad. Still, Frisk was being helpful and seemed to know a lot more than you did. You typed again.

_  
God that name is awful, I’m with him on that. Anyways here’s my phone number, tell me everything you know cause I’m pretty much going in blind. I thought they were just exotic pets a week ago, but, y’know… I know that definitely ain’t true now._

_  
No, it isn’t. Gaster is smarter than I am, quite frankly, and he’s ten years younger. He loves science. Other than making them somewhere nice to live, I’d suggest teaching them to read and write if they don’t know how. By the way, how big are Sans and Papyrus?_

_  
Papyrus is about a foot, Sans is eight inches. What about Gaster?_

_  
He’s taller than I am!_

 

 

  
  
  
You talked to Frisk for the rest of the night until the sun was coming up and you had to pull yourself away to get some rest before the skeletons woke up. You learned a great deal from them and were honestly impressed with how much they’d learned just from caring for Gaster.

  
Six feet tall! You looked at the mini monsters sleeping in their cage before you laid down and your brain fried. Frisk’d said Gaster had only been two feet when they’d found him, but he’d grown exponentially once he started getting the proper care. But Jesus Christ! Six feet tall! 

  
You were still pondering this fact when you woke up a few hours later and started making breakfast. Sans and Papyrus were younger, but they could easily grow to twice their height in a few years. 

  
To your genuine surprise and contentment, the smell of cooking food drew the skeletons out of their cage. You were making pancakes- delicious, chocolate chip pancakes- when you turned around and saw them peeking out from behind the entrance from the living room into the kitchen.

  
“Hey!” you said, but you were kind of preoccupied making tiny baby pancakes for the skeletons. “I’m making you guys something good to eat- are you okay?”

  
Papyrus looked at Sans before he looked back and nodded. He didn’t try to talk to you from across the kitchen, so you just gave them a smile and continued cooking.

  
Plastic shot glasses seemed like the appropriate thing for them to drink out of. You got two, thanking yourself for being an alcoholic when you were fresh out of high school, and brought milk and orange juice over to the living room. 

  
They watched you with big, curious eyes. Had they never seen anybody cook before? You took the plate of little teeny pancakes and your plate, with some more sizable ones, and sat them down on the floor. You were smart enough to put a towel down under your little set-up before you sat down with a huff and beckoned the two over.

  
“Breakfast is served,” you said. Papyrus looked at you, then at the food, then at Sans, and then back to you.

  
“F-For us?” 

  
“Yup. Who else would those tiny little pancakes be for?” you asked with a dumb smile. “I told you I’d make you something good when you got up, didn’t I?”

  
That seemed to be enough for them. Papyrus led his brother over, who still gave you that untrusting eye, and they sat down across from you and looked at the plate of baby pancakes.

  
“They’re for us?” Sans asked, eyeing them cautiously.

  
“Yeah, I promise they’re good, too, I eat pancakes at least twice a week. Here-“ You reached over and picked up one of the tiny disks and popped it in your mouth. “They’ve got chocolate in ‘em, too.”

  
Papyrus was the first to try one. They looked not-so tiny in his hands, but he still picked it up and took a soft bite out of it. Sans watched him very closely as he ate one, too.

  
Their eyes lit up. They stared at each other for a second before they jumped into the pancakes like starving wolves. 

  
You smiled. They were incredible. You ate your own pancakes, picking them up in your hands like you always did, because there was no point making a mess you’d have to clean up when you could just use your hands. 

  
“You guys like them?” you asked, well aware that you didn’t need to.

  
“Y-Yes! Thank you!” Papyrus chirped with his mouth full. Where did the food go? Did it really get turned directly into magic? That was crazy. You watched them eat until they began to slow down a little.

  
“I’ve got some milk and some orange juice- which one do you guys want?”

  
“What are they?” Sans asked, looking at the jugs.

  
“Well, I can’t really explain, but I’ll put milk in one and juice in the other so you guys can both try some, okay?”

  
The skeletons nodded. Papyrus had chocolate on his face, but his brother wiped it off for him as you put some liquid in their shot glasses and set them back down.

  
The whole thing was an experience. Papyrus tried the juice first, and he loved it. Sans, likewise, loved the milk. When they swapped, they both loved it. You felt so bad for them. What would a life without chocolate and milk be like? These poor little guys had been treated so bad.

  
“Thank you, human,” Papyrus said when they’d eaten and drank their full, and then some, it seemed. He looked a little lethargic. Then again, you got tired eating pancakes too. 

  
“Thanks,” Sans said. 

  
“Don’t mention it, I love pancakes too. Tomorrow we could try eggs- another classic breakfast food.”

  
“There’ll be more?” Papyrus asked like you’d just told him it was Christmas morning and he was getting a brand new bicycle.

  
“Well, usually people eat three meals a day, but I usually do two and some snacks in between. I’ve just gotta find stuff that you guys can handle with your tiny hands, that’s all. Most places don’t have skeleton-sized things.”

  
“And… and we can eat... twice a day?” Sans asked. God fucking damn it your heart hurt. What had been done to these poor things? What fucking monster could’ve done this to these sweet little babies?

  
“You can eat whenever you’re hungry- just tell me and I’ll get you something good. Soup might be an option, but I don’t know where I’d go about getting tiny spoons…” you pondered briefly about finding tiny spoons and how cute that’d be. “But, anyways… do you guys know the alphabet?”

  
Two head shakes.

  
“How would you guys feel about learning to read?”

  
“Books?” Sans asked in a hushed tone.

  
“Yeah, stuff like that. I don’t know if I’m a very good teacher, but I can definitely try.”

  
“B-But…” Papyrus began, but then he looked down and stopped.

  
“Go ahead, Pap,” you said softly.

  
“I-I thought… we weren’t supposed to read…”

  
“Why wouldn’t you be allowed to read?”

  
“B-Because we’re… we’re monsters… not people...” he said quietly.

  
You looked down at him, and his brother, and how small and fragile and fucked up they were. You had to take a deep breath before you were ready to speak again.

  
“Well, whoever told you that is stupid,” you said. “I’m gonna teach you two how to read in no time- you’ll be pros, I know it.”

  
The two brothers seemed at a loss for words.

 

 

 

 

_ So Sans and Pap are really fucking smart and I spent all week teaching them the alphabet. They’re still really nervous and scared but they’re getting better- yesterday Papyrus actually asked me for some more soup. Needless to say, I was both shocked and happy as hell. _

You sent Frisk the message as you watched Sans and Papyrus mess with some of the new things you’d bought for them. While the cage wasn’t great, you’d entirely removed the bottom-most doors and had added lots of things for the two little guys. You’d got them two bigger and more comfortable beds, but they still elected to sleep together. You didn’t mind. 

You’d really done a number on the cage, though. You’d super-glued some cardboard to the outside, so you couldn’t see the bars, but had left a lot of ‘windows.’ The windows weren’t actually windows, but rather they were places where you’d taken out the metal bars  of the cage and where the skeletons could poke their heads out. You kept the door functional on the higher levels in case of emergencies, but they had some privacy at least. 

Both were sitting on the living room floor, tiny ‘pencils’ in hand as they wrote on the small scraps of paper you’d stapled together into a notebook. The pencils were actually just pieces of graphite with tape wrapped around them, since they didn’t actually make pencils for such tiny hands. 

“This one is Q, Paps,” you heard Sans say quietly as the shorter skeleton drew the letter. Sans was definitely the faster learner of the two, but Papyrus’s handwriting was better by far. The taller had learned all of the letters but was struggling with Q and Z. 

You heard the little notification as Frisk messaged you back.

_ I’m so glad they’re learning fast, Gaster already knew the alphabet when he came to me. He says hi, by the way. _

_ Tell him I said hi back!  _

_ Have you told Sans and Papyrus about him? _

_ No, not yet. I was going to once they got a little more settled in- God, the poor dudes are still too scared to ask me for food when we aren’t already eating. That or I’m just feeding them really well, but I doubt that. _

_ They’ll get there. If they’ve improved this much already, then they’ll continue to improve. Gaster… has had a slow recovery. _

You frowned. The more you learned about Frisk’s skeleton, the more you pitied him. He’d been ten when he’d been rescued from the home he’d come from, but from the vague things Frisk said… well, suffice to say it made Sans and Papyrus’s old owner seem like a saint.

_ Tell him I say hi, and that his scars make him look like a real badass.  _

_ Haha, I did. He blushed and now he’s going to the kitchen to get a drink, but he said thanks! _

You smiled idly at the screen. Frisk was cool- you liked Frisk. You moved your hands to type another message when you heard a sniffle come from near the cage.

_ I gotta go, Paps is upset about something. I’ll be back on sometime this evening. Bye! _

You closed your laptop and looked at the brothers from where you sat on the couch. Sans had a hand on Papyrus’s back, but Paps was crying.

“Aww, hey guys, what’s wrong?” you asked quietly.

“I-I’m too stupid to learn how to read,” Papyrus cried. Sans rubbed the back of his ribs, but Papyrus just drew his knees up and sobbed.

Sans looked helplessly at you. His eyes were so worried, and the distrust was beginning to leave them day by day. You moved over to them and took a seat closeby.

“That isn’t true, Pap- it’s only been a week, and you’ve got nearly the whole alphabet down. That’s really good.”

“B-But Sans- Sans already knows the whole th-thing,” Papyrus said through his tears. “I-I’m just a dumb monster- I’m not smart…”

You furrowed your brow and looked at him. Papyrus was very worked up, and you weren’t really sure how to deal with the situation.

“H-He always- he always said I was the d-dumb one-” Papyrus sniffled. “Th-that he wished he had two Sanses… instead of a P-Papyrus,” the little skeleton broke off with a sob.

Your heart lurched- he was talking about their last caretaker, wasn’t he? Neither had said a word about him before. 

“I-I-I don’t want to let you d-down, Ch-Chara,” he wailed, burying his head in his knees and wrapping his arms around them. “I-I’m sorry I-I’m not smart like S-Sans- I’ll try h… I’ll try harder-”

You shushed him, coming closer and picking him up in your arms. He hugged himself against your body, snuggling into the warmth as Sans watched anxiously near your leg.

“Shh, Papyrus, don’t cry… you haven’t let me down a single time, I promise. You and your bro are both really smart in your own ways- plus, learning the alphabet isn’t easy! It took me a lot longer than a week to do it- God, it might’ve taken me months. Years, even. I still don’t know what comes after Y…”

“I-It’s… Z,” Papyrus sniffled, but he was calming down. “Right?”

“Oh man, you’re right. See? And you said you were a dumb skeleton. Sans, do you think your bro is dumb?” you asked, looking down at him.

“No, he’s… he’s the best brother in the whole world,” Sans said. You offered him a hand and he clambered up to hug his brother.

“It’s two votes against one, Pap. That means you aren’t dumb.”

Papyrus hiccuped, but said nothing. Sans hugged him tighter.

“You’re great, Pap,” you said quietly. “You and your bro are both really great. I’m real proud of you guys.”

“B-But we… we haven’t done anything,” Papyrus murmured, finally looking up at you. Still so strange for eye sockets to be so expressive. You brought him and Sans up and gave them little kisses.

“You’ve done plenty. Remember like two weeks ago, how you wouldn’t leave the cage? Remember how you used to be scared of me? It takes a lot of guts to get past those things. And, hell, Paps, you did it before your bro. That doesn’t make him a coward, does it?”

“N-No,” he said, giving his brother a soft look.

“Then there you go. Whatever the guy before said- I know it’s hard and it isn’t just gonna happen overnight, but it’s all wrong, okay? And if you need somebody to tell you that, you can always talk to me. I’m not gonna be mad about anything you say. I want you both to be happy.”

Neither said anything after that. You held them for a while. It was becoming a much more common occurrence, and it was sort of scary to realize that you didn’t mind in the least. You liked holding them, because nothing bad could happen when they were in your arms.

After a while you put them down and went and got some chocolate.

  
  


You had a lamp that you liked more than your other lamps. You weren’t sure why, and it wasn’t for any sentimental reason, you just really liked the lamp. It was a cool lamp.

It happened to be the lamp that Sans broke when his magic acted up again.

You were sitting on the couch watching something on your phone when you heard the crash come from the dining room. You heard the glass shatter on the wooden floor and you were on your feet in a second.

You hurried into the dining room, socks losing traction on the hardwood floor and nearly tripping you as you saw Sans on the stand. How had he gotten there?

Papyrus was on the floor nearby. He was laid out and amongst the pieces of glass, but he was pulling himself to his feet as Sans stood on the stand with his magic flaring.

You shouted something as he stumbled backwards and nearly fell off. You had to dive, cutting your knees and side in the process, but you caught him before he hit the floor.

“Sans! Sans, snap out of it!” you said, but the fall had already done so. His blue magic faded slowly. He was left looking up at you with tears in his eyes.

“Sans, you broke the lamp,” you said, more in shock than anything. How had he even gotten on the stand? There was no way he could’ve climbed it- and Papyrus was still on the floor. 

“I-It was- it was an accident-” Papyrus began, but Sans looked down and saw the holes in your clothes where shards of glass had cut them and his eyes filled with horror.

“I-I… I…” he stammered, but his little body was quickly being overtaken by sobs. You held him, staring down in confusion, but before you could say anything his magic flashed and he vanished.

“Where- where’d he go?” you yelped, looking around. Papyrus had a hold of your ankle, and he was sobbing, too.

“H-He didn’t mean to, he didn’t- it was an accident, Chara-” Papyrus cried. You reached down and scooped him up carefully in both hands. His pants had a hole in the knee, but other than that he looked unharmed.

“Where’d he go?” you repeated. He’d just- disappeared! You looked around the room but he was nowhere to be found. 

Papyrus sobbed in your arms. “I-I don’t know!”

“Pap, you can sense his magic, right? I need you to find out where he went.”

“He didn’t- didn’t mean to-”

“I know, it’s okay, please Pap,” you said a little frantically. “I don’t want him to get hurt. Why was he up on the stand?”

“W-We were- we were just playing- I said he couldn’t teleport that h-high, I didn’t think he’d try it, I-I’m sorry Chara, it’s my fault, h-he didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay! Pap, it’s okay, I promise, everything’s alright. But you’ve gotta find your bro for me- okay? I need to make sure he’s okay.”

Papyrus sniffled and looked at you, but eventually he gave a shaky nod and closed his eye sockets. You watched, intrigued but mostly just frightened, until he turned towards your bedroom.

“I-I think… I think he’s in there,” Papyrus whimpered.

“Okay- thank you Pap,” you said hastily as you hurried to the hall and to the door that led to your bedroom.

The lights were off inside, and the curtains were drawn, but a blue light was coming from underneath your dresser and you knew that Sans was there. You walked over, pain finally setting in as you realized you probably still had little shards of glass stuck in your arms, but you pushed the thought aside and got down on your knees.

“Sans? Are you under there?” you asked.

A little sob was the only response. You could hear his tiny bones rattling- the poor guy. Papyrus held you tighter but didn’t try to hop down.

“Sans, you aren’t in trouble. I promise, okay? Can you come out, please?”

There was no response for a few moments, but you waited. You could hear him sucking in breaths and crying, and it made your heart hurt, but you waited.

Eventually, after nearly two minutes of nothing, you heard him shift. Even though it looked like every bone in his body was telling him to flee, he slowly emerged from underneath the dresser and looked at you as big tears fell from his sockets.

“I-I’m sorry,” he whimpered. His body was tense. Papyrus squirmed for a moment, and you gently sat him down on the floor. He moved towards his brother, but Sans took a step back. Some strange understanding passed between them- you had no clue.

“It’s okay, Sans. Are you hurt?”

“I’m s-sorry I h-hurt you,” he said like you hadn’t even spoken.

“You didn’t hurt me, Sans, I’m fine. I couldn’t let you fall, you might’ve gotten hurt way worse than I did. It’s okay.”

“I didn’t mean t-to,” he stuttered. He was hunched and he wrapped his arms around himself. “I d-didn’t mean to-”

“Sans, shh, it’s okay, I know you didn’t. I’m fine, I’m super big and strong and shit.”

“I-I’m… I’m broken,” he said. 

For a second you didn’t understand. Papyrus let out a little sob.

“He… he t-told me I was b… broken,” Sans repeated. His eyes were wide and staring. “Please don’t send me back,” he sobbed. “I’m trying- I-I promise I-I’m trying-”

“Sans, it’s okay-”

“I h-hurt you- I hurt P-Pap- I’m bad. I’m b-bad and broken and I… I’m scared,” he cried. “I can’t control it- I’m trying! I-I’m really trying… I...”

You moved forward, slow and precise, and you offered your hand to him. He latched on and clung to it and sobbed against your palm before you gently scooped him and his brother up. You felt awful. You should have started working with him and his magic before now, but it seemed like a bad time to bring it up. The poor guy was choked with sobs and shaking like a leaf.

“Shh… Sans, you’re okay. I’m not sending you away, you’re fine.”

“I’m bad- m’ bad and I hurt you-” he cried, each phrase interrupted with a pitiful sob. “A-And I’m… I-I’m broken and I-I don’t know how to fix it- I-I’m trying so hard-”

“You aren’t broken, Sans,” you said. You were scared to find yourself on the verge of tears. “I’m not gonna send you away, little dude, I promise. Even if you break one hundred lamps.”

“I-I don’t know what to do,” Sans sobbed.

“Shh, it’s alright. Sans, I promise, it’ll be okay. We can work on it together- yeah? Me, you, and Pap. We just have to be careful- no more teleporting on top of stuff, okay?”

“I-I’m sorry,” Sans sniffled, but thankfully he was calming down. You were so glad- before, it probably would’ve taken twice as long to calm him after something like this. Papyrus wrapped him in a silent hug.

“It’s okay, you didn’t know. You aren’t in trouble. You’re safe here. I’ve got you- remember that, okay? No matter what, I’m not sending you away. You little guys deserve to be safe and happy and have all the chocolate chip pancakes you could ever want,” you said gently. When had you become so soft? You didn’t really question it.

You held them both while they sniffled, Sans being the more worked up of the two. You heard Papyrus coo gentle reassurances to him, and you were so glad that you had both of them. You were so glad they were safe now. What would have happened if you’d never bought them? Where would they be?

“Ch… Chara?” 

You were drawn out of your thoughts by Sans’s tiny, raw voice. 

“Yeah?”

“A-Are… are we actually staying here?” Sans whispered. Your heart beat painfully. “Can we r-really stay?”

“Do you want to stay here?” you asked.

Sans nodded and pressed his face to your shirt to muffle his whimper. Papyrus looked at you with watery eyes and nodded as well.

“I want you to stay, too,” you said softly. “So there’s your answer.”  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here's this- i'm not gonna write it in big parts lmao
> 
> if i write more or not is pretty much entirely up to how much feedback i get, not gonna lie. anyways enjoy!

 

“Who’s that?”

“Harry.”

“What about them?”

“That’s Ron,” you said.

“What about-”

You put your fingertip to Papyrus’s mouth while Sans snickered.

“Shh, Pap, they’ll tell you who they are, you just gotta be patient.”

The three of you were sitting on your couch, watching a movie, like you did most nights. Sans watched, focused only on the screen, but Papyrus kept fidgeting and picking at the fabric of your pants and demanding attention. You didn’t mind- you’d already seen the movie at least 5 times.

“Chara,” Papyrus began from his position against your thigh, “I’m hungry.”

“Hi hungry,” you said, “I’m Chara.”

Sans giggled while Papyrus slapped your leg.

“That’s not funny!” he said through his poorly concealed grin.

You sighed and stood, picking both of them up as you went. Sans complained, but you grabbed the remote and paused the movie and that seemed to satisfy him.

Six months had gone by in a flash. Both bitties, who were at some point going to become not-so-bitties, were growing like beanstalks. Papyrus was already six inches taller, and Sans wasn’t far behind. Their cage left untouched in the corner- all of their things had been moved to a new bedroom, their own bedroom, although they almost always preferred to sleep in yours.

“Alright- what do you two want for dinner?”

“Lasagna!” Papyrus said as you sat them down on the counter. 

“We’re not making lasagna, it’s after nine,” you said, and Papyrus frowned.

“Are there any freezer pizzas?” Sans asked, and Papyrus perked up at the mention of them.

You sighed and went to the freezer and dug around. You had lots of random food in there that they had yet to try- the two were excited to sample anything you could possibly buy them. Sans liked freezer pizzas and Papyrus liked… anything, really. Oatmeal was his personal favorite for breakfast, it seemed, since he’d been eating it every morning for the last two weeks.

You pulled out the second to last freezer pizza and held it out for the bitties to see.

“Peppers?” Sans asked. You grinned- he liked green things about as much as you did.

“I’ll pick them off for you,” you reassured him, and he gave a resolute nod.

You watched more Harry Potter while the pizza cooked. Sans leaned against your side while Papyrus peeped over at your phone and watched you play games.

“Can I say hi to Gaster?” he asked, looking up at you with big old puppy dog eyes.

You put the phone down on your thigh and got on Skype, hitting Gaster’s contact. Sans and Papyrus didn’t have phones, since they were far too small and still a bit young for them, so Frisk had given you Gaster’s contact info in case either of the two little guys wanted to talk to him. You turned the phone towards Papyrus and he went to work.

“Whatcha telling him?” you asked. Sans looked over at his brother for a moment before he went back to the movie.

“I’m gonna… ask him if he knows who Harry Potter is,” Papyrus said, but he was clearly very concentrated on what he was doing. 

“That’s a good question,” you said. You watched him type, slow and steady, while Sans snuggled into your baggy hoodie and continued watching.

“Chara?”

You looked down at Papyrus..

“Can you type it for me?” he asked. “I don’t know how to spell Harry Potter…”

You smiled and took the phone from him before giving him the go ahead.

“Hi Gaster!” he said, and then jumped up on your arm to see if you were typing it. When he’d confirmed you were, he sat back again. “Do you know who Harry Potter is?” He repeated his actions to make sure you had typed it, squinting at how you’d spelled the name to see for himself. “We’re watching a movie about him, he seems nice, bye!”

You typed his message and let him read it over before you sent it. He was getting better everyday, not quite to Sans’s level but close enough. They could read fairly well, still asking for help with some words, and write, and you worked with them at least four or five times a week. They played on the tablets you’d given them, and you’d downloaded apps to help them learn. They were damn smart.

You didn’t trust them not to get pizza sauce all over the couch, so the movie was paused and you all moved to the table. You tucked napkins around them like blankets so they wouldn’t stain their clothes.

You finished one piece of pizza when your phone vibrated quietly in your pocket. Sans and Papyrus were too busy joking and eating to notice.

Frisk was calling. You snuck out of the room and picked it up.

“Chara?”

“Who else?” you said with a shitty grin, but Frisk went on.

“Chara, there’s… there’s been a bit of a problem,” Frisk said. You heard somebody else's quiet sniffles- were they in a car?

“What happened? Who’s crying?”

“Something happened- there was an accident at our apartment- we got kicked out. Me and Gaster- we don’t have anywhere to go- I don’t have enough money for a hotel for more than a couple days- not nearly enough for a downpayment on a new apartment-”

“Woah, woah, slow down, easy there,” you said, staring back at the kitchen before going back to the phone. “Are you both okay?”

“We’re fine,” Frisk said. “We’re not hurt, oh Chara… I’m so sorry to call you like this, I didn’t know who else to call-”

“Where are you? Still in Arkansas?”

“Yes-”

“Do you have enough money to get you up here? Fuck, I dunno how long of a drive it is… can you make it to New York? We’re pretty far north…”

“Wh...what?”

“My house- I live in New York.”

“I know you live in New York- I- there’s no way I can accept that-”

You groaned. Frisk was so fucking polite- you really didn’t know how to deal with it, even if you liked them a lot.

“Well, listen- just head up here, okay? You said you have enough money for a hotel, right? Rent one, get calmed down. Just tell me what happened.”

“...Gaster’s magic flared. He knocked the power out for a few minutes, it wasn’t a big deal, but…”

“Your asshole neighbors?”

“They threatened him! They called him a pet- the landlord kicked us out… we’re almost at a motel, I have to go, it’s just so awful…”

You shook your head. “Listen- just go get a room and calm down, get things organized, yeah? Call me back as soon as you can.”

“Of course- yeah, of course. I’ll talk to you in a bit.”

Frisk hung up before you could say anything else. You stood there in silence for a moment, contemplating what had just happened. 

“Chara?” Papyrus called. You blinked and stared down at your phone, still illuminated from the call.

You’d never had another human roommate before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i did not realize it'd been like two months since the last update... oopsie >w>

“Frisk and Gaster are gonna be here in about an hour- that means you two have to be on your best behavior, okay?”

Sans and Papyrus were buzzing with excitement. They’d hardly slept the night before- all up and chattering and blissfully happy.

“We’re gonna meet Gaster! In person!” Papyrus cheered, grabbing Sans’s hands and grinning. 

“They’ve been through a lot in the last couple days, guys,” you reminded gently. “So you have to go easy on them. I know you’re excited, but give them some time to chill out, okay?”

They both gave resolute nods before Papyrus broke out into another grin. He hopped in place on the countertop and clapped his little adorable hands.

“How long are they staying? Forever?”

“We’re gonna need a lot more pizza,” Sans said thoughtfully.

You snorted. “I don’t know how long they’re staying- maybe just a few weeks, maybe more. And, yeah, we are gonna need more pizza… Gaster’s gonna need to eat a lot more than you two, he’s bigger.”

“He’s taller than you are!” Papyrus said. “Oh wow- that’s so big- do you think he’ll like us? He’s so much older- and- and he’s so much  _ bigger _ -”

“I’m sure he’ll like both of you just fine,” you said, giving them each a pat on the head. Sans seemed more quietly excited than his brother, but you could see the happy spark in his sockets and you knew he was stoked as hell to meet their penpal.

Papyrus continued jumping around and babbling.

 

You peeked through the blinds as you heard Frisk’s car pull in. You’d be a filthy liar if you said you weren’t nervous and excited to meet Frisk and their bitty, too, but this was pretty serious. You heard Papyrus and Sans on the couch, talking loudly. They were so excited, and you were happy to see them so stoked about something. Had they really came to you too scared to even speak? They seemed like normal children now.

“Sans, Pap, they’re here,” you called. There was a moment of silence before Papyrus squealed.

“Woo!”

“You guys wait in here, alright? I’m gonna go help them with their bags,” you said. Papyrus groaned, but they would only get in the way outside. 

You quelled the nervous butterflies in your gut and went to the front door. You saw Frisk and Gaster standing by the trunk and god damn he  _ was _ enormous. The pictures had done little to convey how tall he was. You opened the door and his head snapped to you.

His face was… kind of scary, if you were being honest. The cracks in his skull were deep and jagged, his eye lights small and scared. He quickly moved behind Frisk as you approached.

Frisk turned to you and grinned. They were about as you’d expected them to be- dressed in a big, oversized sweater, hair a little unkempt, face… cute. You pushed the thought away- you’d seen pictures, you knew Frisk was cute. 

“Chara!” they greeted, hurrying over and abruptly throwing their arms around you. You froze up a little in shock, but before you could even think about returning the embrace they pulled away and they were babbling on. You noted they smelled like vanilla.

“Thank you so much- again, I know I already said it on the phone, but thank you again… oh! This is Gaster,” they said, turning and gesturing to the bitty behind them. Gaster gave a small awkward smile. He was wearing a long sleeved purple shirt and jeans- much more fashionable than your bitties. 

“Hey,” you said, eloquent as fuckin’ always. You fumbled for a moment before you saw Gaster holding a big ass suitcase that looked like it weighed as much as he did. 

“Here, lemme help you with that stuff,” you said, moving forward. You saw him move back a hair and look to Frisk as though for help. After they nodded, he handed you the suitcase. You noticed his hands were shaking. He looked away and refused to meet your eyes.

“Gaster, it’s alright. Chara won’t hurt you,” Frisk said softly. You gave him your best reassuring smile, unused to somebody as tall and intimidating as him being so timid. 

“No worries- it’s all cool,” you said, hefting the suitcase into your arms. “Is that everything?” 

Frisk nodded, a pillow and blanket slung under one arm and the other carrying a big duffle. Their eyes were big and brown and really pretty, you noticed. They were short and a little chubby, kind of like a well cared for kitten. 

“Sans and Pap are inside- figured they wouldn’t be much help with baggage,” you said. Frisk smiled as the three of you turned and made your way back to the house. “They’re, uh, really fuckin’ excited, so I’m sorry if they’re a little… overbearing.”

“That’s alright, I’m excited to meet them,” Frisk said. Their voice was soothing. It’d been a long time since you’d heard a familiar and friendly human voice. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen a little baby bones… not since Dings arrived.”

You looked back at Gaster, but he was following with his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

You opened the front door, allowing the two guests to go first. There was a moment of reprieve before-

“Chara! Are they here!?” Papyrus nearly  _ screamed _ . You looked at Frisk with an apologetic grimace, but they were giggling. Even Gaster was torn from his sad revere to look in the direction of the voices.

“Yeah, give me a minute, we’ll be right in,” you called back, ignoring the excited babble from the living room. You gestured to the kitchen counter. “You guys can put your stuff there for now- I’ll take it back to the guest bedrooms. Do you want anything to drink? Eat? The boys are big fans of freezer pizzas.”

“I’m fine,” Frisk said, resting their cargo on the countertop. “Gaster?”

He simply shook his head. You tried not to let the overwhelming pity touch your features, but it was hard- this poor guy. Frisk had told you briefly about what had happened to him, the abuse- you hadn’t expected him to be this bad, though.

“Alright. You wanna come into the living room, sit down, maybe we can talk about some things? The bros are dying to meet you.”

“That sounds great,” Frisk said. They didn’t seem nervous at all, and frankly you were jealous. You were almost sweating. It’d been so long since other people had lived in your house, you were going to have to get used to it again.

“Chara!” Papyrus shouted again, followed by a scolding from his brother. You sighed and led the way to the living room, where you found the two skeletons on the couch where you’d left them. As Frisk and Gaster walked inside, both of the little guys went slack jawed and wide eyed.

“You’re  _ huge! _ ” Papyrus exclaimed. Sans looked equal parts impressed and intimidated. Gaster shrunk away from the attention and you immediately held up your hands. 

“C’mon, guys, what did I say earlier about giving them a break?” you asked, making your way over and bending down to scoop them up. Papyrus practically clambered into your arms, his brother following closely behind, to get a better look at Gaster.

“We’ve never seen another skeleton before,” Papyrus said in a whisper-scream, which was probably his best attempt at being quiet. 

“Will we get that big?” Sans said.

Gaster looked overwhelmed, and you were about to scold the boys for being so upfront, but Frisk intervened with a smile.

“Hey, guys! I’ve heard a lot about you from Chara,” they said, walking over and standing in front of you to look at the little skeletons. “So, which one of you is Sans, and which one is Papyrus?”

“I’m Papyrus, and this is my brother, Sans!” the taller of the two said at once. Frisk reached out their hand. Papyrus looked up at you for permission. As soon as you nodded, he reached out and grabbed Frisk’s hand and gave it a small shake. Sans did the same.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Frisk said. “This is Gaster- you probably already knew that, though, huh?”

“Yeah! Hi!”

Gaster looked at the two bitties in your arms, then up at you, and then at the floor. For a moment you thought he wouldn’t reply, but then he seemed to steel himself.

“H… Hello,” he said softly, very softly. His voice was deeper than Sans’s but still with a childlike quality to it. That made sense, of course, given he was only fifteen. It was a little off putting, naturally, to see a human sized skeleton walking around and talking. He was sort of like something out of a nightmare, and you felt bad for the poor guy. He probably got a lot of shit from les understanding humans for how he looked.

The brother’s must have realized that Gaster was nervous, because they stopped their excited shifting. Papyrus, once again proving to be the most outgoing and vocal little kid you’d ever seen, spoke up.

“You don’t have to be scared of Chara- they’re really nice!” Gaster’s head snapped up immediately to look at you in worry, but Papyrus kept going. “We were scared of them, too, but they’re not like the bad owner- they make us pancakes and give us chocolate and taught us how to read! They’re the best.”

You blushed as a monumental wave of emotion washed over you- god you loved these little guys. You hugged both of them tighter for a moment before you turned your attention back to the other skeleton.

“It’s alright. Really, I’d be nervous too- a new house, new people, you’re fine, dude.”

That seemed to put him at ease. Maybe not a lot- he’d gone from ‘on the verge of a panic attack’ to ‘I’m making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich but I forgot to check and now I’ve got the peanut butter on the bread and I realized I’m out of jelly’ but it was still an improvement. 

“You can go back to one of the guest bedrooms and chill out if you want to- they’re both clean, up the stairs and on the right.”

Gaster looked at Frisk, who was looking at your bitties with a strong fondness in their eyes. The other human nodded. “Go ahead- you know where I’ll be if you need me,” they said, and Gaster was gone just like that. For the fifteenth time the thought “poor dude” went through your head.

You motioned to the couch, and Frisk sat down with a sigh. Your bitties, now without the distraction of the older skeleton, climbed out of your arms and looked at the other human quizzically. 

“I’m sorry about that- we’re still working on the anxiety, he doesn’t do well with new places,” they said quietly, but you waved them away immediately.

“Don’t worry about it, I just want him to be comfortable.”

“Is he okay?” Sans piped up, looking at Frisk, and then up at you. “He’s got a lot of cracks…”

Frisk let out a deep breath. “He’s okay- his last caretaker was very, very mean to him. He’s still recovering,” they explained to the kids. Even Papyrus’s perpetually happy mood fell at that.

“Go easy on him, okay?” you asked. The boys were sitting against your thigh closest to Frisk. They nodded.

“We were scared before, too. We’ll be nice to him,” Sans promised solemnly. Papyrus nodded along, his whole body bobbing with the passionate movement.

Frisk’s severity once again broke into a smile. “Well, what about you two? How are things now that you’ve got a cool human looking after you?”

You tried to stop the butterflies in your stomach upon being called ‘cool’ by Frisk, but their attention was on the skeletons as Papyrus affectionately grabbed your arm and hugged it.

“It's so great,” he said, voice muffled by your arm a little. “Chara’s so nice, they taught us how to read and write, and gave us cool stuff, and let us cuddle with them, and bought us clothes- and- and they’re just… they’re really good,” Papyrus said. You thought your heart might explode as you pulled him against you and gave him a gentle noogie. He snickered.

“We’re not hungry anymore, and it’s always warm…” Sans said softly. He looked up at you before joining his brother against your side. “They’re the best human in the world.”

You thought you might literally die- you had to forcibly stop the tears from welling up as you grabbed them both in a bear hug.

Frisk watched with a happy smile on their face. You sat the two down on the couch and stood up. 

“How ‘bout you two stay here and talk to Frisk, okay? I’m gonna go put their stuff in their room, I’ll be back in just a minute.”

“I can help you with that-” they began to argue immediately, but you held up a hand.

“Nope- I got it. I haven’t had guests in  _ years _ , I gotta make up for it by being the best host ever.”

Frisk smiled. Oh lord their smile was as bright as sunshine. “Alright. You can take all the stuff to Gaster- we’ll stay in the same room for now. He gets so nervous when he’s alone…”

“You got it, chief,” you said, making lame finger guns and then cursing yourself for it a second later. 

“Tell him we said hi!” Papyrus chirped.

“I will. Why don’t you tell Frisk about the games on your tablet?”

Papyrus’s sockets brightened and he immediately turned to the new human in excitement. “Have you ever played-”

You huffed in amusement and went to grab the stuff. You could make it all in one trip if you slung the duffle bag over your shoulder, which you did. You heard Papyrus and Sans going on about their games as you grabbed the stuff and headed up the stairs.

You found Gaster sitting in the first bedroom. He didn’t seem to notice you at first, sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands fidgeting nervously. His eyes snapped up to you and he seemed to to tense.

“Delivery for Mr. Gaster,” you said. “Can I come in to put this stuff down?”

“O-Oh- oh, o-of course,” he stuttered, jerking to his feet immediately to help you. His hands were really big, you noticed. He took the suitcase off of your hands and sat it beside the bed. 

“Okay- so, the bathroom is at the end of the hall, help yourself to the shower and stuff if you want, there’s towels in there, I’ve got my own downstairs. Uhhh, you can eat anything in the kitchen, there’s ice cream in the freezer, but if you eat the freezer pizzas make sure you leave at least one for Sans and Pap… I think that’s about it,” you said.

He nodded obediently. “Th-thank you.”

You gave him a resolute little nod. He seemed so scared and unsure. 

“I’m gonna go back downstairs, if you need anything at all, don’t be scared to ask me, or to tell Frisk to ask me. You two are guests, so I want you to be as comfortable as possible.”

Gaster shifted nervously, his eyelights glued to the floor. “I… I can’t offer anything in return-”

“Don’t worry about it, I wouldn’t ask you or Frisk to pay rent or anything like that. When my folks died they left me a pretty huge amount of money, so I’ve got it covered. I’m gonna go back downstairs and see what they’re up to down there, you need anything?”

“N-No… I’m okay,” he said. He was too fuckin young to be so polite and fearful. You gave him a tiny smile and took a step back to the doorframe.

“Alright- like I said, if ya need anything, don’t be scared to ask.”

Gaster nodded. You left, and as soon as you turned your back you heard him let out a deep breath. The poor dude.

It seemed like Frisk and Gaster would be pretty low maintenance roomies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed! feedback is always appreciated and is the most surefire way to get more chapters out of me more quickly lmfao
> 
> (there will only be a couple more chapters with all five of them together, there never really was a plot to this fic.. just hurt/comfort and found family goodness)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we are.. some more of this hot mess, now including some backstory and talk of pokemon lmfao

 

As expected, Frisk adjusted almost immediately. You told them countless times that they didn’t need to clean, but they did. They even vacuumed and dusted. You couldn’t even remember the last time you’d vacuumed, if you were being honest. They were cheerful and optimistic nearly all the time- except for the mornings. You were definitely a morning person, but Frisk came out of their room, hair looking like it was trying to fly off their head, eyes half closed and yawning, until they had coffee. But they were great with the boys and managed to keep you just the right amount of company. They’d already started a hunt for a new job despite your many protests that they should just relax for a few days.

Gaster, on the other hand, was not so quick to adjust. After that first day, he seemed to be avoiding you, and while he did seem to like talking with the boys, he was quiet when you were close by. He didn’t seem to like leaving his room too much, but you could understand. You didn’t press him.

The boys, of course, were delighted to get more people to socialize with. You were so infinitely glad that they didn’t seem to be suffering any lasting trauma from their situation. Papyrus was outgoing as always, and though they hadn’t quite made it to physical contact with the other human, they certainly liked to play games with Frisk. Gaster kept his distance, but he couldn’t quite entirely escape their little wrath. Gaster seemed to like Sans more, of the two, given his quietness and overall lazy behavior. 

A week passed in general monotony. It was a quiet evening. You sat on the back porch, staring out over the small little yard and the other homes in the suburban town you lived in. You took a sip of your drink- a concoction of brandy and soda that didn’t exactly taste great, but hey, it did the trick. The window behind you was open, and you could hear Sans and Papyrus inside getting excited over their newest game- you’d dug out your old video game console so they could play pokemon. They seemed to enjoy it. Gaster seemed familiar at least- he gave them quiet tips and pointers.

Things were good. You heard Sans shout something about one of their pokemon evolving and you smiled, knocking back the rest of your nasty drink in one swallow. Things were a lot different than they’d been in the last few years, but… this was a good different. You liked this different. You heard the door open behind you and turned to see Frisk making their way over to the stairs.

“Sup,” you asked, scooting over so they could sit on the step beside you. They did with a bright little smile- they were wearing an oversized purple sweater with a pink heart on the front. It was adorable.

“I saw you out here, you looked lonely,” they said, handing you a cup. 

“Nah, just enjoyin’ the outdoors. What’s this?” you asked, swishing the liquid in the cup around. It was clear.

“It’s this new thing, they just invented it… it’s called water,” they said with a grin. “You might want to drink some. You put a lot of alcohol in that drink of yours.”

You laughed but drank it anyways, downing the cup in one go. “Thanks, forgot there were drinks that weren’t alcoholic.”

They smacked your shoulder, but they were smiling, their deep brown eyes twinkling. 

“You’re so bad… I hope you haven’t let Sans or Papyrus drink yet.”

You let out a harsh laugh. “They’re eight! Oh my god, I might be irresponsible but they have to be at  _ least _ sixteen.” You laughed, going to take another drink of your water before you realized you’d already drank it all. You groaned, but before you could get up to get more Frisk was taking the cup from you and handing you their own.

“They’re both for you. You shouldn’t drink anymore, though, you’ll get a hangover.”

“Pssh. I’m not even drunk. Sounds like something a lightweight would say,” you said with a smile, taking another gulp of the water.

Frisk smiled and rested their hands on their knees, following your gaze out over the setting sun and the houses illuminated in the dulling rays. 

“It is a pretty neighborhood, though,” Frisk said. “I thought towns like this only existed in movies and stuff.”

You sighed. “Nah, this is a classic upper-class white suburb. A good Christian society.”

“Do you talk to the neighbors much?” they asked, looking at you with genuine curiosity. You let out a breath and leaned back, staring at the ceiling of the porch. 

“The neighbors don’t like me much. Every christmas I get a pity-pie from the old lady down the street who was friends with my parents.”

Frisk made a soft noise. You continued to stare at the ceiling, lost in fuzzy thought. Papyrus was scolding Sans for something, and you heard a quiet, reserved giggle from Gaster. You smiled softly, and then Frisk was talking again.

“You don’t seem like you miss them much…” they said gently.

You laughed. You stopped yourself, realizing it probably wasn’t an appropriate reaction to the question, and heaved yourself back upright to look at them.

“You’re right. I feel bad about it sometimes, but like… I don’t? They were shit. Probably borderline abusive. Does sending your kid to conversion therapy count as abuse?” you mused, staring down at your cup.

“Oh… I’m so sorry,” Frisk said.

“Nah, it’s fine. I mean, it’s fine now. They let me live with them, at least. Made me pay rent, but I could cover it. As long as I  _ pretended _ to be their perfect young man, they loved me. They loved to brag- go over to the neighbors, say ‘oh you know our dear Charlie has a 4.5 GPA, top of his class in high school, very bright,’ but that’s all it was.” You grimaced. “Aaaand then they died. They were in their fifties, it wasn’t that much of a travesty. Drunk driver, y’know, police officer said it was over real quick. I was, like, nineteen? They were real prepared, already had a will and everything. So I got it all. And that’s pretty much my whole life’s story,” you said before you laughed. “Sorry for chewin’ your ear off.”

“No no, that’s okay!” Frisk said at once. “I’m sorry you had it so rough, Chara…”

You felt your chest warm when they said your name. You looked over at them and gave them a smile.

“Pssh… it’s fine. Besides, now I’ve got the skelebros,” you said. “What about you?”

“What  _ about _ me?” Frisk said. They seemed a little more melancholy than before, after hearing your frankly depressing tale.

“Well, yeah, what about you. You live on your own, right? Just Frisk and Gaster… Frisk and Gaster, Gaster and Frisk. How’d that happen?”

Frisk laughed a little. “Oh, well, it isn’t quite the epic yours was… I moved out when I was old enough. My parents were fine, I talk to them sometimes, but… they didn’t really understand the whole ‘agender’ thing too well. I moved out after I saved up enough and got a job, and ever since I got Gaster I just… stayed away. I didn’t want to have to go through the process of explaining to them that he’s his own person, not my pet. I didn’t want  _ him _ to have to go through it. So it’s just been me and him for a long time.”

You nodded, looking out at the sun. It had touched down on the horizon of homes, casting deep, slanting shadows over the two of you.

“That makes sense… you guys can stay here for as long as you want. Livin’ job to job without a degree probably isn’t the bee’s fuckin knees.”

Frisk laughed. “No, it isn’t… not even the bees elbows, I’d say.”

You laughed. “Well, you can probably snag a job around here pretty easy. I don’t mind you livin’ here rent free, since you’re keeping the place clean, so if you want to save up and maybe take some classes or something, I dunno. Whatever you wanna do.”

Frisk seemed taken aback for a moment. You looked at them with a lopsided smile.

“That… I can’t accept that, Chara-”

“Of course you can, I’m the one who offered,” you said with a wink. “It ain’t like you and G are expensive or anything. My parents were saving up for retirement and stuff, they had a  _ lot _ of money to leave me. I haven’t had a job in years and I’ve barely put a dent in it.”

Frisk looked at you with stars practically glimmering in their eyes. You blushed, but before you could get out another word they wrapped you up in a big, fluffy hug.

“I’ll think about it,” they murmured into your hoodie. “Thank you so much!”

You froze for a moment, sure your heart would explode out of your chest, before you gave in and hugged them back.

“No prob, bob,” you said. They laughed as they pulled away. You noticed with a start that they had little tears in their eyes.

“Oh my god- are you crying?” you asked before you could think better of it. 

Frisk laughed a little, wiping them away. “Happy tears! It’s okay… just… nobody’s been this nice to me before,” they said, looking up into your eyes with a soft, tender smile. Oh jeez. Oh jeez oh man they were really cute. You looked away as you rubbed your neck, hoping it was too dark for them to see the furious blush on your face.

The door opened and suddenly light was spilling onto the both of you, two little skeletons running through the door and practically leaping into your lap.

“Chara! Chara look! Look what we caught! It’s  _ yellow _ !” Papyrus cheered. You heard Frisk giggle as Sans shoved the game in your face so you could see the shiny pokemon they’d managed to capture.

“The internet said these are really rare- one in a million,” Sans said with an enormous grin, his tiny skeleton hands hardly able to support the Game Boy. So tiny.

“One in around eight thousand, actually,” you said, but their excitement was contagious. “Still, it’s really cool you found one, they’re hard to find.”

“Yeah! They’re great!” Papyrus said. “We named it Chara.”

You blinked, grabbing the little wigglers in your arms and giving them both a hug. “Why’d you name it after lil ol me?” You took the game from Sans and looked at the little thing.

“Because! We were really lucky to find it! Just like we were lucky to find you!” Papyrus said, snuggling himself close to your chest.

You were too shocked to say anything for a second before you scooped them both into a suffocating hug.

“You two are such saps!” you said, and they both giggled, giving your face little skeleton kisses.

Frisk continued to laugh while Gaster watched from the doorway.

Different, but nice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been forever but my bud hachi wanted some more so here it is haha, to all like 2 of you that are probably still on board with this fic lol

A couple of weeks passed, and things started settling in. Gaster was still wary of you, and had spoken, at most, two dozen words since your first encounter. You didn’t mind- you knew it wasn’t a reflection of you as a person. You found him with the other skeletons more often, though- they would sit in his room, or the living room, playing video games or asking Gaster for “lessons.”

The lessons made your heart soar. Gaster knew much more than Sans and Papyrus- he was older, and he’d had five years to learn things, versus the little one’s seven months. They asked him almost as many questions as they asked you- what controlled the weather, how to do long division, what were their bones called, why was the sky blue- they bothered him near constantly with inquiries. You would often watch quietly from a doorway, or listen from another room and smile.

Frisk was nothing but a delight. They had promised to keep the house spotless, in exchange for living there rent free, and they held that standard with care. You’d told them at least fifty times now that it wasn’t necessary, but they insisted, and you’d learned to stop fighting them. 

You were confused by how much you enjoyed Frisk’s company. Most evenings you found yourself with the other human, after the skeletons had gone to bed, sitting on the porch, talking about life and what you enjoyed, what you didn’t, things like that. They were a sweetheart- they loved animated movies and kid’s cartoons and candy. Their favorite color was pink. They almost always wore big, oversized sweaters that made their plump, chubby frame even cuter. Their big brown eyes would light up at the smallest things. You couldn’t ask for a better roommate. 

You sat back on the porch swing, closing your eyes and listening to the sound of your skeletons romping in the backyard. You’d bought them a sprinkler. Papyrus squealed with delight when he ran through it, which made Sans laugh, which only made Papyrus laugh as well. You sat back up and watched them with a smile so wide that it hurt. It was so great to see them so happy and carefree- their relapses into fear were becoming rarer by the day. Nightmares and bad days still happened, but you couldn’t be more proud of them. 

Frisk and Gaster were spending the day together indoors, so it was just you and Sans and Papyrus outside. They were soaked, running around in the grass, switching between the sprinkler and the small kiddie pool you’d gotten for them. They looked like they were having the time of their lives. It made you happy.

“Chara!” Papyrus shouted, leaning against the edge of the pool and grinning at you. “Come play with us!”

“The water’s great,” Sans added, resting on a cut up pool noodle you’d modified for their sizes. 

You sighed and stood, stretching out your arms and making your way out of the shade and into the warmth of the sun. Papyrus cheered, vaulting over the edge and running over to hug your leg.

“You’re so hairy,” he commented, rubbing the hairs on your leg. “Humans are weird.”

You nudged him with your foot and he squealed, grabbing on, and you dropped him back in the pool. Sans giggled while Papyrus pretended to pout and shook the water from his skull.

You sat down, careful not to break the plastic edges. You were a little big for it, but the skeletons didn’t seem to mind in the least. The boys made a game of getting you to pick them up and then jumping into the pool, getting your top just as soaked as your shorts were in the process.

Their fun was contagious. You found yourself giggling along with them, splashing them with water and scooping them up to plant kisses on their skulls. They would groan in mock indignation every time, and that only made you laugh harder. They decided to play pokemon- you’d introduced them to the TV show a couple weeks ago. Listening to them imitate the pokemon screaming their own names was hilarious. They made you a Wailord, because you were big. You didn’t complain.

The day passed in quiet monotony just like that. They played outside for a long time, switching between relaxing in your lap and jumping through the sprinkler and attempting to fly the toy helicopter you’d bought for them. 

The sun was going down by the time Sans found a spot in your arms and didn’t move from it, resting against you as you sat against the tree in the backyard. He was so small- you looked down at his peaceful face as he dozed against you, one hand gently nestled in the fabric of your tank top. You could feel him breathing- you didn’t question how that was possible, but it made you warm inside.

You were pulled from your quiet revere by Papyrus walking over. You blinked at him and gave him a smile.

“Chara?” he asked softly. 

“What’s up, Pap?” you asked as he crawled up and you held him as well. He nestled into you, head resting near your armpit so you could support him. He looked up at you with big, thoughtful sockets.

“Thank you,” he said, snuggling himself in.

“For what?”

“For everything,” he said, a tiny smile on his face. Your quiet conversation roused Sans from his nap, and he blinked awake only to smile at the two of you.

“Mm… what’re you guys talkin’ about?”

“I’m thanking Chara for everything they’ve done for us,” Papyrus said.

“Oh yeah, thank you,” Sans said, but he still looked so sleepy. He yawned, which made his brother yawn, which made you yawn.

“You guys are too sweet… you don’t have to thank me for doin’ all this stuff- I want to.”

Papyrus shifted around again so he could look at you more. “Yes we do! You don’t have to do any of it- it isn’t like you’re getting anything in return, and it isn’t like…” Papyrus looked away for a moment. “It isn’t like you’re, uhm… technically our parent.”

You blinked. You had honestly never even considered that they wouldn’t consider you their parent, because you considered them your children. But, then again… they wouldn’t know any better, would they?

“Do you guys want me to be your parent?” you asked. 

The hazy orange light of the sunset made the atmosphere seem too perfect to be true. Papyrus’s eyes went wide, and his brother’s jaw fell open.

You blushed. “I mean, obviously you don’t have to say yes, but… I consider you guys my kids, I guess. Y’know… I love you and all that, and I want to keep taking care of you for as long as you’ll need me…” you knew your face was heating up, unused to this openness.

They just stared at you for a little bit. Sans closed his jaw, and when you looked back at Papyrus you saw tears gathering in the corner of his sockets.

“Oh… oh Chara, do you mean it?” Papyrus cried, wiggling around and standing up on your thigh with his hands clasped together. Sans sat, expression equally as hopeful and pure.

“Of course I do,” you said at once, setting Sans down on the opposite leg and bending forward a little to give them each a kiss on the forehead. “If you guys want.”

“Yes!” Papyrus exclaimed at once, throwing himself at you and wrapping his arms as far as they could go. “Oh my gosh! Yes!”

Sans continued to stare at you. Papyrus was crying.

“Really?” Sans asked, his eyes wide and full of stars.

You brought one hand up and held Papyrus’s back as he babbled and cried. You nodded and gave him one of the most genuine smiles you’d ever given.

He hugged you just as hard as his brother. When he pulled away again, his eyes were wet with tears. He nodded a few times and then fell against you once more.

You stared at the two of them, then out over the backyard and the sunset. You took a deep breath of the warm, heavy air and smiled. 

You knew you were starting to tear up, but you honestly didn’t care. You hugged them both and grinned.

You’d always thought about adopting.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there hasnt been angst in a while. better bring that back lol~~ here y'all go, some gaster/chara interaction

You sat on the couch, looking out of your window and watching as the birds came and went from the newly-placed feeder. It had been Frisk’s idea, as they recalled how peaceful it was in their childhood, to sit and watch the birds flutter about outside. That same day you’d gone to the store and bought a nice-looking feeder and bird seed- it had taken a few days, but the birds were quick to find the new source of food. Frisk and the boys had been delighted.

The aforementioned human was away- out to a job interview in the nearby city. If you remembered correctly, it was for a service position at an upscale restaurant. You commended Frisk for their tenacity. Working with food and hungry customers sounded like a job straight from the fires of hell. 

You alternated between watching the sparrows and finches and doves and checking your phone. The boys-  _ your  _ boys, you reminded yourself- were napping upstairs after a rather active game of tag earlier in the day. You smiled out at the birds, reliving the chaste forehead smooches you’d given them, because god did you enjoy the simple things. 

You heard the soft padding of skeleton feet in the kitchen. Sans and Papyrus were never that quiet, so you assumed it was Gaster. He was still wary of you, like a skittish cat or something. You decided to let him be- pushing him didn’t seem like a good idea. So you sat, listening to the noise of him walking around in the kitchen, opening the cupboard, the fridge, apparently having a ball opening every door he could. You laughed at the mental visual that gave you. Like one of those horror movies where all the cupboards flew open, except it was just Gaster looking for the pop-tarts.

There was a soft gasp a split second before something heavy hit the ground and shattered, scaring away the birds at the feeder and you half to death. You squeaked in surprise and nearly dropped your phone, but you stilled your fluttering heart and stood to investigate.

The kitchen floor was covered in broken glass. Gaster stood by the sink.

“Oh man, did you drop something?” you asked. “Lemme go get the dust pan-”

“I-I didn’t mean to,” the skeleton stuttered, turning to stare at you with enormous sockets. You blinked and tried to think of a response, but Gaster’s hands were shaking like leaves in a windstorm and he looked about ready to run. His eyelights were hardly visible.

“I know, it’s fine- just a glass, no harm d-”

“I-I’ll- I’ll fix it- I’ll buy a new one, I-I’m sorry-” he whimpered, taking a step back. You could hear the crunch of glass under his feet, and you cringed, but continued to back away.

“It’s fine- It’s totally fine,” you tried to reassure him, but you could hear his breathing pick up and you knew he was working himself into a panic. You could hear the shaking of his bones.

You raised your hands. That was what people did to de-escalate a situation, right?

Apparently not in this case, because Gaster’s eyes widened and suddenly he was scrabbling to get away from you. His bare feet didn’t get much traction between the linoleum and the shards of glass; you had a warning on the tip of your tongue as he tipped forward and fell onto his hands and knees.

Gaster yelped. You winced as you imagined the splinters slicing him, but he was only deterred for a second before he was in the corner, knees drawn up to his chest. He looked much less intimidating when he was curled up and in the midst of a panic attack.

You were not qualified for this, not one bit. His sockets were wide and he was laboring through breaths, all while a strange red substance soaked his pants and dripped down his legs. It looked like it was coming his his hands- you hoped his pants had protected his knees.

“Gaster- hey, G, it’s fine- breathe, okay?” you said in an attempt to help. The glass was still all over the floor, so you just stood as close as you could. You got down on your knees, because you felt wrong towering over him like you were.

“I’m sorry- I-I’m sorry-” he gasped as big, purple-tinted tears ran down his cheekbones. “I didn’t mean- I didn’t- it slipped-”

“It’s fine. It was just a cup- we’ve got tons of ‘em, yeah? You’re okay. I’m not mad.”

Gaster sucked in a shuddering breath, but they weren’t evening out. God, what you wouldn’t give for Frisk to come home right now. You’d never dealt with anybody having a panic attack before. You felt so helpless.

“You gotta breathe, G,” you said softly. “You’re alright.”

He said nothing. You bit your lip and thought hard for a second. You had to make sure his wounds weren’t deep- that was the first priority. You stood and hurried off to the front door to grab your shoes, tugging them on and returning to the distressed skeleton as quick as you could.

“I’m gonna come over there, okay?”

He didn’t respond. You let out a breath and stepped into the kitchen, careful to avoid the biggest pieces of glass as it crunched underfoot. Gaster saw you moving and gasped. Before you could reassure him, he was scrambling against the corner like he could phase through the wall.

“I-I’m sorry- I’m sorry- please-” he begged between sobs. You stopped at once and held up your hands again.

“Gaster, it’s okay! It’s just me, I’m not gonna hurt you- I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Your words seemed to reach him. He stared at you with an expression you couldn’t describe, blood still oozing down his legs, before he gave a shaky little nod. He hiccuped, and your heart squeezed in pity.

“I’m coming closer, okay? I just want to make sure you’re not hurt too bad.”

He hid his face in his knees while he cried, but thankfully he seemed to be pulling himself out of it. You picked your way across the glass-strewn floor until you were just a foot or so in front of him. You bent down, careful not to put your knee on anything stabby, and tried to get him to look at you.

“Hey, it’s okay- you’re fine, G, I promise. Everything’s cool, yeah? Nobody’s angry, nothing’s wrong. Deep breaths, my dude.”

“I’m sorry…” he whined. You knew this one wasn’t about the glass.

“Hey, don’t be- these things happen. It’s all good.”

Gaster gave another shaky nod. He glanced up at you for just a second before lowering his head again with a whimper. You saw a smear of blood on the floor where his foot had shifted, and you frowned.

“You stay put here for just a second, okay? I’m gonna clean this stuff up, then we can take a look at your hands and make sure you’re good. Sound like a plan?”

He nodded. You sighed, happy to have a set goal to put your mind to. The dust pan was in the closet near the doorway- you hurried over and busied yourself with sweeping up all of the nasty pieces 

Your mind drifted. This poor fucking guy- he’d had five years to recover, and he still thought he’d be punished for dropping a cup? You wanted to believe that it was just because you were new to him, but god… what had happened to him? You swept up a particularly sharp piece, Gaster’s sniffles accompanying the action. 

You disposed of the shrapnel and helped Gaster to his feet. He winced at once and held back a poorly-concealed whine. You led him to the counter near the sink and lent him your hand, easing him onto the edge so you could look at his injuries.

“There we go- good thing you’re all bones, I don’t think I coulda hauled a human up there,” you said. It elicited a huff from the monster, but that was good enough for you.

You looked at his feet, first. The bones were so small and tiny- it felt strange to touch them. They were bleeding, but it didn’t look too bad. You filled the sink with warm water and went about wiping them clean, picking out any glass that was still stuck. Thankfully it wasn’t much- you didn’t even need to go grab the tweezers. His hands were about the same- cut up, but nothing too serious. A trip back to the closet to grab the first aid kit and you were bandaging him up. He sat, staring at the ground between his legs, unwilling to meet your gaze. It was a bit challenging to work around his trembling, but you made do.

“There, all done,” you announced as you secured the last piece around his foot. None of the glass had gone through his pants, which was a plus, at least. 

“Th-thank you,” he said quietly, just loud enough to be heard. “I’m… I’m sorry for overreacting.”

“Nah- it’s fine, don’t worry about it. You didn’t overreact… you were scared.” You caught his eye and gave him a sad little smile. “You’re allowed to be scared, yeah? I mean… I want you to feel safe, obviously, but I know it’s a process. Don’t feel bad.”

He held his arm and stared down, new tears building in his eyes. You offered him your arm.

“C’mon- how bout we go to the living room? It’s a lot comfier than the counter.”

He nodded, wiping the wetness away before it could spill over. You helped him down, guiding his arm around your shoulder so he wouldn’t put too much pressure on his feet. It was the most intimate contact you’d had with him. 

You sat him down on the couch. He didn’t look at you, but that was fine.

“Do you need anything? Some water, the remote…?”

He didn’t say anything, just grabbed his arm and looked away. You walked over, trying to project all of your movements as plainly as you could, and took a seat next to him, but not too close.

“Hey… seriously, everything’s okay,” you said. Reassuring was good, right? That’s what you did in this situation? You gave him a gentle smile. “I know you’re still scared of me, and that’s okay. I want you to feel better, but it takes time.”

Gaster curled in on himself a little bit. “I… I know, logically… that you wouldn’t hurt me.” He took a deep breath, still refusing to meet your eyes. “B-But… I… you look… more similar… to the man who…” Gaster hugged himself tighter. You let out a sad little noise.

“Hey- that’s fine. You’re used to Frisk, and they’re, like… small and chubby. I know it isn’t the same for me- I’m all taller and lankier and I’ve got… more  _ beef _ , I guess,” you said, gesturing to your body. “I never got on estrogen or anything, so I get that I look more like a dude.”

“You’ve… you’ve been so kind to me,” Gaster whispered. “I’m so sorry for… for taking so long to… t-to trust you.”

You shook your head. “Hey, it’s alright- I totally get it. It’s only been, what, a month? I get it. If there’s ever anything I can do to help, you can tell me. Or text me, or have Frisk tell me, if that’s easier,” you added. He looked so sad and  _ tiny _ , hugging himself on the couch. You wished you could reach over and give him a big hug and melt all his fears away, but you knew that wouldn’t help.

When he didn’t respond, you stood. “Well, if you want to talk more later, we definitely can, but you look  _ dead _ tired, dude,” you said. He didn’t laugh, persay, just snorted a bit. “Anything you want to do?”

“Could… could I lay down here?” he asked hesitantly. His eyes met yours for a second. 

“Absolutely- yeah, lemme get you a blanket and stuff.”

You darted upstairs and grabbed his blanket and pillow, and his phone while you were at it. When you returned, he was curled up on his side. He accepted the things with a quiet ‘thank you’ in response. He looked so exhausted- like he’d drop any second.

“Okay- there ya go. All ready for a nap. Anything else I can get ya?”

He hesitated. You could see it on his face, but eventually he looked up at you with those big, sad eye sockets.

“Could… could you stay? Here? Is that okay?” he squeaked. 

You felt your chest warm. It was the last thing you’d expected, but you weren’t complaining- quite the contrary, actually.

“Yeah- ‘course I can. Yeah… I’ll sit over here, okay?”

He nodded. You grabbed your phone and sat in the recliner across from the couch. 

“Thank you…” Gaster said softly. He drew his blanket up around him and snuggled into it, looking like a big skeleton burrito. Everything below his cheekbones was swaddled, and you couldn’t deny he looked cute as heck.

“No problem, G.”

He was asleep within a few minutes. You watched him for a little while. Gosh, did you have a lot to tell Frisk.

Maybe it wasn’t an ideal situation, but it was progress. You couldn’t complain.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Gaster didn’t avoid you as much. In the days that followed his incident, you found him in the same room more and more often. He didn’t speak much, but you were fine with that. Even when Sans and Pap were out playing, or napping in your bedroom, Gaster usually sat in the living room with you in comfortable silence. You were nearly giddy- it made you so happy to think he was getting better and making strides. 

Frisk landed the job at the restaurant, part time, so usually it was just you and the skeletons at home. It was one such evening when you found yourself sitting on the porch, watching as Sans and Pap played Pokemon in the backyard, making a game of it and entertaining themselves.

You heard the door slide open and looked over your shoulder to see Gaster step outside. He blushed, but motioned to the step beside you.

“I-Is it alright if I sit?” he stammered. You gave him a grin and patted the area beside you in response.

He sat. The two of you watched the younger bitties play- shouting the names of the Pokemon they were being and play-fighting with each other like any other eight year olds would. It made you smile, and a glance over showed that it made Gaster happy, too. His smiles were so rare, and they were usually saved for the boys.

“So what do you think?” you asked, still looking out at the yard as Pap caught Sans in a headlock, shouting “Machoke!” and snickering.

“A-About?” Gaster asked. You could hear how nervous he was.

“Living here and stuff,” you said, turning to him. His big purple eyes found yours for a bit longer than usual, until he averted them again and played with his hands.

“It’s… it’s nice,” he said quietly. He looked up at the clouds overhead. “There’s so much space, and there are no mean neighbors, and… a-and we have freezer pizzas.”

You smiled. “Yeah? Did Frisk not let you get freezer pizzas before?”

Gaster’s hands stilled. “Well… they wanted to. I-I know how much they wanted to do things for me, but… they worked so much, a-and we didn’t have any extra money…”

You frowned. “Aw, man… I’m sorry. That’s not fair to either of you.”

Gaster nodded. This was the most talkative you’d ever seen him, but that made sense. If he’d only had Frisk to talk to before, there must have been a lot of stuff he’d been keeping pent-up. He paused for a while, still eyeing you to affirm that it was okay for him to continue.

“I-I was alone most of the time… I didn’t like asking for things, because they were so busy, and I knew they were working as m-much as they could… the neighbors never used their right name or pronouns…” Gaster looked down at his feet. “They pretended everything was okay, I think for my sake, but… but it wasn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” you said. Gaster glanced over at you before he took a deep breath. 

“I-It’s okay…”

“Do you think coming here helped at all?”

He nodded at once. “Things are so much better… they’re less stressed, and they have more time to relax, a-and… to spend with me… and you’re so nice to both of us,” he said. “It’s so much better here…”

You gave him a small smile. “I’m glad to hear that, at least.”

There was a silence for a moment. Sans had switched the situation and was sitting on Papyrus’s back near the tree, groaning about being a Snorlax and how fat and lazy he was. You watched them and brightened at the sound of their laughter, the warm evening air tinted with the smell of cut grass.

You wanted it to stay calm, but you had a thought stirring in your mind, and you couldn’t get it to still. You looked over at Gaster.

“So, hey… I don’t want to make you upset, but… do you get panic attacks like that often?”

Gaster shrunk in on himself a bit. “I-I, uhm… a couple times a month, maybe, I-I do my best to- to keep them to a minimum…”

“Do you, like… have trouble with anxiety and stuff like that?”

Gaster reached up and rubbed his neck. “I… I think so…” he began softly. “I’ve looked at stuff online and… I think… maybe I have it? And… depression… maybe,” he trailed off after a second and folded his hands in his lap. “I-I don’t know… Frisk thinks so, too, but…”

“Would you be open to seeing a professional?”

Gaster looked up at you in surprise. He gaped for a moment before a blush spread across his skull and he looked away again. 

“I… I, uhm, I’ve thought about it… maybe… but Frisk never had the money, and there aren't any  _ bitty _ therapists…” he looked up at you, and the hopeful spark in his sockets made your heart ache. “Do you… do you think that’s maybe something we could try?”

“Of course, dude,” you said, moving yourself so you were facing him more. “I dealt with depression for a while, it sucks so bad. I don’t know much about anxiety, but, I know it’s serious and I’d definitely be willing to help you look into that stuff and maybe find a way to work on it.”

Gaster’s eyes got wide. “A-Are you sure? I m-mean- I… I don’t… are you being serious?”

You gave him a funny look. “Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be? I care about you, dude. And if you’re sick, I want to do my best to help you get better.”

You noticed the tears gathering in his sockets just a second before he moved forward and wrapped his skinny arms around you. You froze, completely unprepared for it, but recovered and hugged him back.

It only lasted a moment. Gaster pulled away and wiped the tears from his face and gave you his first genuine smile. “Th-thank you so much, Chara, I… I don’t… I don’t have anything to repay you with-”

“Don’t worry about it, dude,” you said, still reeling from the hug. “I just want you to start feeling better, y’know?”

Gaster nodded happily. He blushed again and withdrew a bit as you gave him a wondrous look.

“O-Oh, uhm, I… I hope the hug was okay, I’m sorry-”

“It was great,” you said at once. “I love hugs.”

Gaster flushed a deeper shade of purple and grabbed the bottom hem of his shirt. “Thank you… th-thank you so much, for everything,” he breathed.

“No problem, dude.”

A comfortable silence followed, interrupted only by Gaster’s happy sniffles. You gave him his privacy and looked at the two bitties still romping in the yard, oblivious to what you and Gaster were doing. 

Maybe you’d end up with three skeleton kids. 


End file.
